Team TTTSOC
by scififanfreak222
Summary: The Titans go looking for new members when they are faced with their biggest challenge yet. Will they succeed without meeting any Mary-Sues? SUBMIT YOUR OCS! 11-13 spaces are TAKEN! Sorry, it's full! R&R.
1. OC Submission

Hey everybody! I've decided to start an OCs tribute story because OCs are some of the coolest chars on , and I intend to make them known! Here's the story; Robin and my OC, Avatar, have an argument which causes Avatar to quit the Titans and go back to the Teen Squadron. But when a new and extremely powerful threat emerges, the teen teams have no choice but to go out and look for some new team mates, aka. Your OCs! Please submit your OCs and give them the following factors. I'm only excepting 7-8 OCs so I'm really sorry if yours doesn't get picked! Good luck on getting picked, you guys! I'll PM you if I decide to use your OCs!

xscifi :)

* * *

Name:

Superhero Name:

Age:

Powers:

Weapon:

Characteristics:

Appearance:

Crush:

Dress (normal):

Dress (superhero):

History:

Friends:

Family:

Other Info:

* * *

I know it's a lot to fill out, but please do it!

xscifi :)


	2. A Lot Of Fighting

Hey everyone! Oh my God, opened up my e-mail, just to find 28 new messages waiting for me! XD Wow, guys I really don't know what to do now! All of the OCs have been soooo amazing, and I really can't choose now! I've decided to bump up the limit from 7-8 to 12-13, because there's no way I'll be able to choose just eight. I can confirm that RavenxIsxAxBlackxRose's OC, Grace Wilson will be used in the fic, as will AngelicBrat123's OC, Boom Baby, PfeifPfish728's OC, June (formally 'Tracie') Makrov, StormyNightengale's OC, Natasha Dugan, and KiraMizu08's OC, Cesca. Enjoy this chap please! It'll be quite long and boring, and the first OC introduced will have to wait on a cliffhanger, but … Just enjoy it, okay? Jeez …

* * *

Captain Ella Eve Slicer was a tall, muscular woman with an army uniform and a steely gaze. It only took the security guards of Area 55 one glance to know that she was 'authorised personnel' and meant business.

As she walked briskly down the long corridor, Ella thought of teen superheroes. Although these 'supers' didn't know it, the government had had a file on every single one of them since birth (or, before they put on their masks/capes/tights, that is).

She was looking for a particular file, but as she searched she happened to come across the file of a certain 'Avatar' …

_Name: Leela Anita Rosalia Josephina Maria Elizabeth Mercy Garcia_

_Alias: Avatar_

_Date Of Birth: 4/6/92 (Age 17)_

_Powers: Manipulation of the elements; Flight, reading the air, affinity for weather._

_Significant Other(s): Jeromy Demitrius (Ghost), Lance Armstrong (Mega Boy), Richard-John "Dick" Grayson_

_Team Affiliations: Teen Squadron, Teen Titans …_

Ella continued to read the profile as her eyes scanned images of Garcia with her team and with Robin and Batman.

_She and Robin had always had a complicated relationship_ … Ella, who knew a lot more about every teen hero than she let on, thought. _I wonder how they're getting on now …_

* * *

"Leela, get up," Robin snarled.

"No," Avatar replied curtly, going back to her book.

"Leela, get up," Robin said again, the anger rising in his voice.

"No," Avatar said again, her dark brown eyes still glued to the page.

"Leela," Robin took a deep breath. "Get up, we have training."

"No, we don't," Avatar yawned "I had training yesterday, remember? You know, when you screamed at me to run until I passed out and Cy and BB had to carry me to my room? Yeah, training? No thanks, Rob. I'll pass."

Robin looked like he was about to burst a blood vessel. "Leela," he said, trying to keep from losing it. "We have training every Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Today's Friday, Av. So we have training."

"I know it's Friday," Avatar snapped, closing her book shut. "And every Friday, me, Gina and Jen go out. Clubbing. At the Sewer."

"You're not going out," Robin glared at her, trying hard not to sound like a strict parent. "We have training."

Avatar rolled her eyes. "Please, Robin," she snorted. "Like I'm following your rules."

"Yeah," Robin snapped. "You are! This is MY team! This is MY house. And I'M the leader. So you HAVE to follow the rules."

Avatar glared at him. "Okay, WHAT?" she snapped. "What the hell, Robin? MY team? MY house? I thought there was no 'I' in team." She yelled. "I AM SICK AND TIRED OF TAKING YOUR CRAP, ROBIN! QUIT PUSHING ME AROUND FOR CHRIST'S SAKE!"

"I'd stop pushing you around if you stopped disobeying rules all the time!" Robin retorted. "If you hate this so much, then why don't you leave?"

"Fine," Avatar snapped. "I will. I quit, Robin."

Silence.

"What?" Beast Boy, who (along with the other Titans) had been listening in to his friends argue. "Leela, you can't quit! You're ..." he blushed. "You're like family."

"I agree," Starfire chipped in. "You have become like the sister to me, friend Avatar. And not the evil, mean, nasty type also."

"Gee, thanks guys," Avatar said, taken aback. "That really means a lot, but ..." she glared at Robin. "I'm not taking your crap anymore, even if it means I can't see my friends."

And with that, she got up and walked out of the tower.

"Avatar! DUDE! Wait a minute!"

"Where are you off to, girl?"

"Avatar, please! You do not have to do this!"

"Avatar ..."

"Leela."

Avatar ignored her friends, walking in long, strong, powerful strides to get out of the Tower and make sure nobody saw her cry. She didn't want to go, really. It was just a stupid pride thing to do with her past relationship with Robin, and how it had ended between them ... Embarrassing, if you were wondering.

She reached the small island on which the Tower stood, her friends calling and protesting after her. She took one backward glance and sighed, but kept walking, just before ...

CRASH!

"HEY!" two voices yelled at the same time. "Watch where you're going! Are you blind?"

Avatar rubbed her head and got up.

"Maybe you should get yourself a pair of glasses," a snarky voice commented. "I've got muck all over my boots, no thanks to you!"

Before her stood a tall, pretty, tanned and skinny girl with white blonde hair that fell past her shoulders, white blonde side bangs and electric green eyes. She was wearing a black polo neck shirt that exposed some of her toned stomach, a grey, studded buckle belt that had an assortment of daggers and pockets on it, thigh length black leather shorts, knee high black biker boots with an assortment of buckles on the sides that seemed to stick out, and a pair of black, fingerless gloves that had holes in the knuckles (which obviously did a lot of punching).

"Sorry," Avatar mumbled, taken aback by the girl's serious appearance. "Excuse me, but who are you and why are you here exactly?"

"Name's Mercenary," the girl replied curtly, crossing her arms over her chest. "Seventeen years old, no powers, but great combat skills, weaponry ... yada, yada, yada ..." she shot Avatar a questioning look. "And you are?"

"Avatar," Avatar replied. "Seventeen years old, the ability to manipulate the elements, yada, yada, yada ..." she cheekily at Mercenary. "You didn't answer all of my questions though, for one, why are you here?"

"I'm looking for my brother, Jericho," Mercenary snapped. "Where is he? I shook down about eleven people to get here and yet I don't see him anywhere! So?" She looked around expectantly.

"GRACE?" a voice crackled behind them. "Is that you?"

"Oh. My God." Mercenary groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose and hanging her head. "This isn't happening ..."

"Robin?" Avatar asked. "Do you know Mercenary?"

"Know me?" Mercenary snapped before Robin could answer. "Avatar, I dated the Boy Blunder while he still lived in Gotham with the Batman!"

"No you didn't," Avatar said, confused. "Because _I_ was dating Robin while he was still in Gotham."

"Oh no, oh no, oh no ..." Robin whispered, putting his head in his hands.

The two girls exchanged glances for a long moment, before yelling: "BITCH! ROBIN?"

Robin cringed. "Now, now, ladies," he said, putting his hands up defensively. "There's no need to-"

"I was dating Robin in June," Avatar snapped, ignoring him.

"I was dating Robin in July!" Mercenary gasped, putting her hand over her mouth.

"Is she saying that you were making out with her while I was risking my life in Siberia and grieving the loss of my friend?" Avatar shrieked, looking like she was about to strangle Robin.

"You made out with me while she was grieving the loss of her friend?" Mercenary yelled. She walked over to Robin and smacked him hard in the face before calling him something very unintelligible indeed.

The other Titans (even Raven) were all snickering at watching their leader squirm, and were really beginning to like this newcomer.

"You are so dead," Avatar snarled, advancing towards Robin as he backed away. "A DEAD man."

"Give me a piece of that action!" Mercenary glared at him as she began advancing towards Robin as well.

"Ladies ..." Robin said, flinching at the hurt he knew he was about to be put through.

"_Jerk," _the girls replied.

And then they beat the living crap out of him.

**Later ...**

"Oh my God!" Beast Boy laughed, hugging his sides to stop himself from falling apart from laughter. "And remember when Mercenary got out the crowbar? How Robin screamed? Priceless! I wish I'd filmed that!"

"Seconded!" Cyborg replied. "God, Robin. You really dug yourself in too deep."

"Nice joke," Robin, who had been buried in the sands of the island with just his head showing, snapped. "Now, for the love of God will you dig me out?"

"No way!" Beast Boy grinned. "You're staying there until I get to see you cry!"

"You're dead when I get out of here," Robin said darkly.

"I know," Beast Boy said cheerfully. "But I'm just going to enjoy it while it lasts."

Meanwhile, Avatar and Mercenary were admiring their handiwork.

"We've got to do this more often," Avatar laughed, watching Robin's face go red as he yelled at Cyborg and Beast Boy.

"Definitely," Mercenary agreed. "That idiot got what was coming to him, and if I had've known he was taken, I would've stayed away from him, Av."

"None taken Mercy," Avatar grinned. "And no hard feelings?"

"No hard feelings," Mercenary agreed.

And they shook on it.

* * *

Well, first chap's over. Hope you enjoyed that! That amazing OC, Grace Wilson or Mercenary belongs to RavenxIsxAxBlackxRose, and I hope I did okay with her! And please don't be too mad at me Black Rose! I just described Grace's costume a *wee* bit like Terra's only I made it more edgy(ish).

xscifi :)


	3. Hacked

Hey everybody! Okay, so here's chapter 2 of the fic, and I have something to announce; So far I've had a lot of people asking for Cy as their crush. What the hell, people? It's not like I don't like Cy, he's awesome, and I would go out with him if he were real and interested in me, it's just that I was expecting to have this problem with Beast Boy! So now I'm majorly confused, and I haven't a clue who to pair him with, so I have a plan: Whoever submitted Cy as a crush must come up with TEN GOOD REASONS why their OC should end up with him. Sorry, but it's the only way I can decide who gets him, sorry! Also, an OC called Jade Black was submitted and I'm not sure WHO exactly owns her ... I've seen this OC thrown about a couple of times, and I don't want to be using an OC that belongs to somebody else. Anyways, the Titans recieve their new mission in this chapter and go out recruiting. And I think you guessed who's first recruited by the title! ;) Anyways, PfeifPfish728's OC, Tracie is introduced in the next chap. Later!

xscifi :)

* * *

After Robin had recovered and yelled at Beast Boy, Avatar and Mercenary for half an hour, the Titans travelled to Bludhaven City to reunite Mercenary with her brother, Jericho.

Mercenary, who was not 'the emotional type', simply smiled at her brother and said, "Hey, how's it going?" rather than crying about how much she'd missed him and how glad she was to see him again.

Jericho, on the other hand, was 'the emotional type', and he signed something to his sister before silent tears rolled down his cheeks and he gave her a big hug.

The siblings embraced for a minute, before pulling away to be greeted by the smiles of their fellow team mates.

Avatar was wearing a soft smile, as she'd grown up in such a huge family and family meant the world to her.

Kid Flash was wearing a confused smile, as he'd never seen his mute friend cry before.

And Robin? Well, he was wearing a hugely evil smile.

"Well," he said. "I never thought I'd see the day where Grace Wilson went soft."

"Shut it, Boy Blunder," Mercenary snapped, replacing her happy expression with a snarky, serious one. "Or I'll get Avatar to help me bury you alive again. Only _this_ time your head won't be above the surface!"

Robin gulped, quieting down. "Sorry," he mumbled.

"Well," Delphi smiled, her beautiful face full of happiness. "I think this little family reunion calls for a little party. Who wants some cake?"

"I do!" Kid Fash, Herald, Beast Boy and Cyborg all yelled at once.

Jinx rolled her bright pink eyes. "What is it with boys and cake?" she asked Gymnasti-Girl.

"Beats me!" Gymnasti-Girl replied, "But let's just say that Delphi and I had a feeling the guys would go for the cake straight away!"

"What do you mean?" Jinx said, confused.

"Let's just say we're going to get back at them for spoiling Delphi's birthday party," Gymnasti-Girl replied, winking at the hex-caster.

"This cake is delicious!" Kid Flash yelled as he began stuffing his face with cake, not bothering to use a spoon.

"Mm oh!" Beast Boy agreed, his mouth full of cake. But what he's said sounded something along the lines of: "I know!"

"Glad they're enjoying the 'party'." Press said, crossing his muscular arms over his chest.

"Don't be such a fun killer," Delphi hissed. "It's bad enough that I've been suffering through this headache all day and now I have to listen to you complain? No thanks. So put a sock in it, Press."

"Wait, a headache?" Press asked, concern in his voice. "Do you think you might be getting a-"

"No, I'm fine," Delphi, who's visions often scared her, said. "It's not that bad. If I do see anything, it won't be that bad."

"I'm not so sure," Press said, putting his hand on her slight shoulder. "Gina, if anything-"

"Press," Delphi said firmly. "I'm fine."

And no sooner had she said this, did her head began to pound relentlessy, the pain becoming unbearable.

Delphi dropped the cup she'd been holding as she fell to the ground, her eyes squeezed tight shut.

"NO!" she screeched. "NO! NO! NO!"

"Gina!" Avatar and Gymnasti-Girl cried in unison, running to their friend's side.

By now the party had stopped all together, and even Beast Boy, Kid Flash, Cyborg and Herald had stopped to check if Delphi was alright.

"She's evil!" Gina was saying in Greek, her vision already started. "She's powerful, she's ... perfect. It's actually sickening. She's coming to get us, we need help!"

"Wait, Delphi, calm down!" Press said, trying to soothe her. "Tell me, who is she?"

"M.S." Dephi mumbled, her extremely thin body going rigid.

"Dude," Beast Boy mumbled. "I don't feel so good."

And all of the boys who had eaten the cake threw up on the carpet as Delphi passed out.

* * *

"Let us through!" Robin roared. "We're authorised personnel! LET US THROUGH!"

"Let them in," Captain Ella Eve Slicer said in her cool, calm voice. "They are authorised. They have my permission to be here. Open the doors!"

The rather scary looking guards of Area 55 gave in, opened the doors and allowed the two teams of teen heroes enter.

"S'about time those stupid bozos let us in!" Mercenary snapped, loud enough for the guards to hear.

Avatar cringed beside her new friend, knowing that one day Mercenary's sharp tongue would get her into trouble.

The Titans and the Squadron followed Robin and Captain Slicer down the long, dark corridors and into a large room with an even larger computer.

"We already know why you're here," Captain Slicer informed them crisply. "We've already prepared a list of new recruits for you to pick out, ten to thirteen to say the least."

"How do these guys know these things?" Beast Boy hissed at Raven, who shushed him.

"Let's see," Robin muttered, his masked eyes scanning the computer screen. "Natasha Dugan, Tracie Makrov, Veronica Switz, Cesca ... no last name here. Shane Anders, Sabrina Johnson -"

Suddenly, the computer began to flash and sparks began to fly out of it. "Dang it!" Robin cried. "The computer's crashing!"

"I knew this would happen," Captain Slicer snapped. "Luckily, we took the liberty of printing out a copy of each hero's profiles ..." she handed a handful of paper to each Titan.

"Delphi, how much time do we have?" Robin asked the beautiful psychic.

Delphi closed her eyes. "A few months, at the very least," she answered, without opening them.

"That's all we need," Robin said enthusiastically. "Now c'mon team, let's GO!"

And the teen heroes fanned out.

* * *

Nineteen-year-old Natasha Dugan was a tall, pretty girl with blue eyes and tanned skin. She was sitting all alone in the internet café, the hoodie of her light blue sweatshirt pulled up over her long, braided brown hair.

_Why am I here?_ she thought, pursing her lips together. She'd been waiting in the café for over an hour. Something had been drawing her to this place, she wasn't sure what, but it was just a feeling she had.

The bell of the door of the café rang, and a tall, African-American man entered, wearing a dark grey hoodie that covered his face in a dark shadow, making it impossible to see.

The man walked over to a computer and sat down, switching it on and waiting for it to load up.

For some reason, Natasha couldn't keep her blue eyes off this man, something was making her gaze stick to him.

Natasha had been born and raised in New Hampshire, but had discovered her 'special' powers at the age of fourteen. Her parents had been alright with her powers mostly, but it seemed like ever since she'd moved to Jump City to find work her relationship with them had improved, and she barely spoke to them anymore.

The man's nose crinkled up in frustration, and he slammed his strong fist against the table.

"Stupid computer!" he couldn't help but yell, his shoulders slumping as he looked at the balnk screen.

"I can help you with that," Natasha said uneasily, suddenly rising from her chair and walking over to the man. "I'm pretty good with computers ..."

Good? She was a frickin technopath for crying out loud! She was also able to communicate with machinery through a type of telepathy she liked to call cyberpathy, not to brag or anything ...

"Here, let me see," Natasha mumbled, bending over the man to see what what was wrong with the computer. She walked over to the computer's hard drive, and, taking a deep breath, she touched it.

Natasha suddenly felt every single little circuit in the small piece of machinery, how everything connected, the electricity that kept it running ... and something that shouldn't have been there at all. A bug.

"A bug," Natasha said, shaken. "There's a bug in your hard drive, that's the problem!"

"I know," the man answered. "I was just testing you, and you passed."

"Huh?" Natasha said, fazed. "What are you-"

"Are you Natasha Dugan? Alias: Hack?" the man cut her off.

"Yes!" Natasha exclaimed. "But how did you ..."

"Save the questions for later, please," the man said, removing his hoodie to reveal a half-human half-robot head. "My name is Cyborg, and I'm a member of a team called the Teen Titans. We're looking for new recruits, and you were on the list. So?" he asked. "Will you join us?"

"Yes," Natasha answered almost immediately, before following the handsome Cyborg out the cafe doors.


	4. Star Signs

Hey everyone! Scifi here, and, well, it's official! A Mary-Sue has been submitted to the story! Take a look through the reviews to see if you can guess who it is! The two people who guess first will get their OCs introduced in the next chapter! Which reminds me ... KiraMizu08's OC, Cesca, and PfeifPfish728's OC, Tracie Makrov, will be introduced in this chap! Also, I have a message for anon: I'm not sure if I can use your OCs because they're very complicated ... I'm afraid I might mess them up or get them embarrassingly wrong ... It's not that they're bad, it's just that I'M bad, okay? Also, loveoc's/robinxoc's OC, Jade (Nightshade) has been accepted as has BlakcDawn's OC, Igim Ze (Paradox Theory) and Sailor Navy Ranger's OC, Sabrina Johnson (Ice Moon). Enjoy!

xscifi :)

* * *

Cesca sat in sat in her white life-gaurd chair by the lovely, aqua blue pool, carelessly whacking her bright turquoise flip flops together.

_Man, I'm bored ..._ she thought as she continued to whack. _Will something just happen already?_

At fourteen, Cesca guessed that she must've been the youngest person employed at Jump City Leisure Center, but her employer, Jeff Greenely, had sensed that something was ... _different_ about her.

Despite her young age and size, Cesca seemed to be an amazing swimmer, effortlessly slicing through the aqua blue water. She was at home there. She didn't have to worry about her crippling shyness or making new friends. All she had to do was be Cesca.

Cesca was a pretty girl with tanned skin, black shoulder lengthed hair and black eyes. She'd been born in the Philippines, under the Water sign of Pisces, and had discovered her powers at the age of thirteen. Scared that people would be afraid of her or call her a freak, Cesca ran away to Jump City, using means she didn't like to recall.

Cesca continued to stare at the water in the pool, willing for something, anything, to happen to it. It had been a slow day at the pool, with hardly anybody even stopping by, much less drowning. Cesca sighed, looked over her slight shoulder and got out of her life-gaurd chair.

She walked slowly and chairfully over to the pool, already feeling the water's energy. It was ready to play, and so wa she.

Cesca outstretched her hand to the water, picking some up in her palm and smiling down at it. She whispered to it in her native tongue, and suddenly the water sprang, creating a strange, snake-like form as it began to dance in her hand.

Cesca laughed at the funny little snake, allowing it to curl itself uo around her long arm and slide back down it again, back into the water.

She smiled. That felt good, she thought happily, before deciding to retreat back to her chair. She got up, dusting off her turquoise and white palm tree print capri pants. She began to return to her chair, but a voice stopped her.

"Cesca?"

Cesca swung around.

"Jeff, I-" she was surprised to see that the tall frame of her boss wasn't anywhere to be found. "Who's there?" she said shakily, advancing towards the pool. "Show yourself!"

"Cesca, relax," a voice said from under the water. "It's only me."

Cesca's dark eyes widened. "A-Aqualad?"

Sure enough, the gorgeous Atlantian was there, in the water, his dark eyes staring intently at her.

"Long time, no see, Ces," he said, getting out of the pool.

"Yeah," Cesca agreed. "How did you-"

"The same way you got to Jump," Aqualad answered.

They were both silent for a moment.

"Why are you here, Aqualad?" Cesca asked, her eyes downcast as she had always been a little shy around the Atlantian. He was so good-looking ...

"As you know I've become a part of a superhero team called the Teen Titans," Aqualad answered. "We're currently in an alliance with another team called the Teen Squadron. A member of the Squadron named Delphi had a startling vision that we'd be faced with something pretty big pretty soon, so we need help."

"What are you getting at, Aqualad?" Cesca said suspiciously.

"We want you to join," Aqaulad said, holding out a black and yellow communicator to her. "Please, Ces, we need you ..."

"Is Robin still on the team?"

Aqualad nodded slowly, aware of the fact that Cesca still had a crush on the Boy Wonder. "Yes."

"Okay, then," said Cesca, and she followed him out of the pool.

* * *

Sixteen-year-old Tracie Makrov heaved a huge sigh.

This is hopeless, she thought. She was standing in the middle of an abandoned fairground, which, just a few months ago, had once been active with lights, children, lovers, and villains ...

Tracie wasn't proud of her family. She had absolutely no problem with her older sisters, Tammy and Tiffany, but Terra was an entirely different story ...

Yeah, you heard right. Tracie was the younger sister of the nortorious Terra. The backstabber, villain, apprentice, and number one enemy of the Teen Titans.

After hearing of her sister's betrayal, Tracie said she never wanted to hear or see her sister again.

So why am I out here looking for her? Tacie thought. Oh yeah, because Tam told me to.

Tracie blew a strand of her curly, brown hair out of her pretty face as she made her way over to the hall of mirrors. She was wearing her favourite outfit, a light blue T-shirt with tan shorts, knee high socks, and brown boots. All topped off with a white alice band.

A strong, cool breeze blew as Tracie entered the Hall of Mirrors, cold enough to freeze anyone's butt off! Not Tracie though. She didn't really like to talk about it, but she had the ability to control the air, and fire too when she was angry. She didn't like to rember the fire part ...

"Hey, you!"

Tracie swung around. _It's that creepy ground's keeper!_ she thought. _Crap!_

"I'm sorry, sir," she began. "I know I'm not-"

She stopped. Before her stood a small, young-looking boy, with pointed ears and ... wait, green hair and skin? Tracie looked confused. _Still, greenness aside, he was still pretty cute ..._

"Who are you?" Tracie stammered. "Why are you here?"

"I could ask you the same thing!" the boy laughed. "But aside from that I need to ask you something."

Tracie crossed her skinny arms expectantly.

"Are you Tracie Makrov? Sibling of Terra, Tammy and Tiffany Makrov?" the boy asked.

"Yes," Tracie answered, startled. "But how did you-"

"I'll tell you later," the boy said briskly. "Look, my name is Beast Boy, and I'm part of a team called the Teen Titans, and we're looking for a whole bunch of new recruits. So, you in?"

Tracie smiled. "Yeah, I am."

So she took his hand as he offered it, and walked with him out of the Hall of Mirrors.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed that!

xscifi :)


	5. The Club In The Shadows

Hellur ... Okay, so things are going to get a little bit darker in this chap, and there'll be a little action in the second shot, as requested by shadowjohn 101. His OC, Shane Anders, and AngelicBrat123's OC, Veronica Switz will be introduced in this chapter. And if you were wondering, RavenxIsxAxBlackxRose was the first one to guess who the Mary-Sue was, so her OC, Grcae Wilson, will be recruiting as well! I've accepted The Mighty One's OC, Falcon, and Saffire55's OC, Saffire Elizabeth Logan to the story, their intos will be coming up soon! Thank you so much for all of the OCs, guys! And I'm kinda getting annoyed at people submitting OCs when they're not signed in as I can't PM them or ask them for more info on their char before deciding to submit them or not! That doesn't include you, The Mighty One! You've sent MORE than enough info! Thanks, everyone! And without further ado, the third chap!

xscifi :)

* * *

Veronica Switz was totally partied out!

Dressed in a short black dress and heels (rather than her usual T-shirt and favourite pair of jeans), Veronica was standing in The Sewer next to a gorgeous guy with a drink in her hand, flipping her lovely red hair at every opportunity.

It was a coke, before anybody panicks, Veronica was well aware of the 'no drinking before twenty-one' rule. She was a good girl, she just LOVED to party.

The Sewer was actualy an under twenty-one club for (ahem) superpowered teens, and a bunch of them always came down there every Friday night, Veronica being one of them.

The large swinging doors of the club suddenly swung open, and Veronica turned to see who it was.

Nothing much to look at really. Just a pretty girl with tanned skin, blonde hair and a very curvy body, wearing a pretty turquoise summer dress with flip-flops. Pretty, but a total girl next door.

_The guys don't seem to think so though,_ Veronica thought, as the girl made her way into the club. The guys were all yelling and winking at her, and the girl was yelling and smiling and winking back. She's a total flirt, Veronica thought. _Just like me!_

"'scuse me," Veronica muttered, getting up and walking over to the mini bar, nearly tripping over her high heels in the proccess. She'd always been a bit clumsy, but sometimes that was a little more of a disadvantage than others ...

Veronica couldn't help but laugh. _Let's just say things can get a little bit ..._ explosive, she thought, looking down at her gloved hands. _Especially when I take these babies off ..._

How she'd gotten her powers was kinda a long story. For one, for some crazy reason, her parents had decided to let some crazy scientists do all kinds of strange (but not hurtful) tests on her when she was a baby. _Maybe it was because they were getting paid,_ Veronica thought, rolling her strangely gloden eyes. _Maybe also because they were trying to create the perfect human ... Let's just say that I was far from perfect!_

Needless to say, the lab had become her home, and she was allowed to do anything she wanted to in it, well, mostly.

She was never allowed to drink any off the liquids, Veronica remembered the scientists telling her. But it wasn't her fault! One of those liquids had been contained in a Lucozade bottle AND it had been an orangey colour, so how was it her fault that those miniature liquid samples of TNT had entered her blodd stream, finally setting themselves in the palms of her hands? Yeah, not my fault!

This caused Veronica to remember that horrible day, after she'd been released. Her parents had decided to take her on a nice holiday, just as a treat for her and her little brother. _Too bad nobody knew what would happen that day ..._ Veronica thought sadly.

Once they had boarded the plane, Veronica had felt very sick, her mother had assured her it was just nerves. Once the plane was up in the air, Veromica asked her father if she could take off the gloves the scientists had advised her to wear, they were getting to itchy. Her father allowed her, and she rested her hands on the table that was attatched to the chair in front of her. Then everything else was just a blur ...

The explosion had killed every passenger on that plane, including her family, with just her as a survivor. The police wanted to ask her all kinds of questions, but Veronica didn't want to hear any of it. She ran away to Jump City, where she became a superhero and learned to fight and became good at most sports. Her life was getting better ...

It was still pretty terrible though.

"Are you alright?"

"What?" Veronica snapped. She hadn't realised she'd been day dreaming with a sad expression on her face. "Oh," she said, recognizing the blonde girl. "It's you."

"Yeah!" the blonde girl grinned. "Are you Ronnie Switz?"

"It's Veronica, actually," she corrected, handing her glass up to the bartender. "How would you know?"

"Oh well, I can't really tell you here," the girl answered. "But I can tell you this: My name is Jennifer O'Brien, and I presume that you're Boom Baby, right?"

"How the hell did you-"

"Shh," Jennifer cut her off. "Look, my alias is Gymnasti-Girl, and I'm from a team called the Teen Squadron. We've recently been alerted to a threat that may take more than just us to handle, and we've been looking for a bunch of new recruits, along with our close allies, the Teen Titans." she paused and giggled. 2Wow, I sounded mega smart there!"

Veronica hestitated. She'd heard about both of the super teams before, and had always wondered what it would have been like to be in one of them. That Cyborg guy seemed pretty cute, maybe if she joined she might get a chance to meet him ...

"Fine," Veronica sighed. "When do we go?"

"Right now!" Gymnasti-Girl grinned. "Thank you, BB. You've just made my job a whole hell of a lot easier! Now c'mon! We have places to go and hearts to break!"

Veronica laughed, even though she knew Gymnasti-Girl was joking. Even so, she winked at the incredibly hot guy on her way out, causing his eyes to follow her as she ran out of the club with her new team mate.

* * *

Seventeen-year-old Shane Anders was standing in a dark alley way, his back propped up against the filthy brick wall and his intense green gaze focused on a group of thugs standing outside the bar.

He shrunk back further into the wall, into the shadows, where he always felt more at home. The shadows were his oasis, his safe place ...

He flinched. _Don't think like that,_ he yelled internally. The shadows have the potential to kill any living thing! They're not safe, they're not home, they're evil!

Of course, the half of him that enjoyed the power of the shadows argued.

Yet, his handsome face remained perfectly calm, even though he was screaming on the inside.

He always had to keep a very close eye on his emotions, the last time he lost control ... well, let's just say his mother hadn't woken up from her coma yet.

A young girl with long, dark, wavy hair walked past, keeping her brown eyes down cast as she made her way to the bar.

_She's in trouble,_ Shane thought, rising from his slumped stance a bit, interested to see what would happen.

"Excuse me," the girl said in an American but Mexican twinged accent. "I need to get through here, and-"

"Hey, baby, where you runnin' off to?" one large, and particularly drunk man asked. The girl shyed away from him.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I just need to get through here. I have to get home-"

"Why don't you come to my home?" another man asked, leering at her. "You could take a ride on my motorbike, I don't mind."

Shane could've exploded with anger. _How dare he!_ He thought. _That girl can't be more than sixteen or seventeen years old ..._

"No thanks," the girl replied briskly. "I can't really. Now, please, just let me through-"

"Now way, girl," another man smiled. "You're staying with us tonight."

"No, I'm not." the girl replied firmly. "I'm going home, where I belong."

"HEY!" the drunk man said angrily. "NOBODY passes up an offer from Mikey! Ain't that right, Joel?"

"Yeah, missy," the man called Joel snarled. "We've been real nice to you up until now, but you're pushing our buttons a bit."

"I don't want you to be nice to me," the girl retorted. "And if you've been NICE to me up until now I certainly don't want to be chatting to you any longer. So, if you don't mind, I'll be on my way."

"No, you won't," Joel snapped, placing his arm up on the wall, blocking the girl's exit. "Now. You're going to sit nice and pretty while me and my boys do our work, y'hear? It's been two whole weeks since I met a pretty girl like you, and I'm not going to let you get away that easily." He grabbed her arm.

"Don't touch me," the girl said, her voice dangerously low.

"I can touch you anywhere I want, you stupid little whore," Joel snarled, touching her in a VERY inappropriate place indeed.

Shane snarled.

"Stop it!" The girl exclaimed, shying away from his touch. "Get away from me!"

And before Joel could even reply, the girl had kicked him in the crotch and sprinted down the alley way, weaving past Joel's bumbling friends.

"HEY! Get back here, you stupid little bitch!"

"Help me! Somebody, please, help!" The girl yelled as she ran, fighting back tears.

That was all Shane needed, and quick as a shot, he sprinted down the alley way after them. He came up behind Joel first, punching him in the back and sending him to his knees.

"Hey!" he yelled. "Who the hell-"

He didn't have time to finish his sentence as Shane had already knocked him out.

Shane moved on to Mikey next, wrapping his strong, pale arm around his neck and cutting off his air supply, starving his brain of oxygen long enough to knock him out.

The drunk guy, who had backed the girl into the corner and was already advancing on her, was next.

Shane decided not to waste his energy on the old drunk. He was already angry enough, why not just release a little shadow power on him?

Shane took a deep breath, allowing his powers to gradually build. He glanced at the shadows of the unconscious Joel and Mikey, and acting on instinct, he slowly made the shadows grow until they formed a series of long, black tentacles.

The tentacles moved until they were close enough to the drunk man, wrapping them selves around him, pulling him down.

"Hey, what the-" he began, but Shane made the shadows wrap themselves around the drunk man's mouth. He had no wish to listen to him speak.

The tentacles made their way around the drunk man's neck, cutting off his air supply and starving his brain of oxygen long enough to knock him out. Shane would never kill anybody. He'd gotten so close once, it still hurt him to think about it.

"Are you all-" Shane was about to ask, but the girl was nowhere to be seen. "Miss?" he yelled. "Miss, are you-"

THUMP!

A slim, cat-like form dropped down beside him, standing up straight to reveal itself as a girl. She was wearing a black mask and a black polo neck leather jacket that was zipped up the full way, a black leotard underneath, a silver buckle belt over it, along with a pair of knee high black biker boots. A superhero, and the girl who was just being attacked.

"How did you-" Shane began, but he decided not to ask questions, as the girl just ignored him and walked over to the drunk man.

"Bastard," she said, spitting on his bald head. "It's actually quite sad that so many girls suffer the same fate, but luckily I had you looking after me." she smiled at him. "Thank you, Shane Anders. You saved my life tonight."

"Wait," Shane said, confused. "How do you know my name exactly?"

"I have your file," the girl answered curtly. "Listen, Shane. My name is Avatar, and myself and my colleagues the Teen Titans are looking for new recruits. We've just been faced with a rather large challenge, and we need all the help we can get." she looked at him. "So? Are you in?"

"Yeah," Shane answered, frazzled. "But, first off, what else do you know about me?"

Avatar hesitated. "Well, I know your alias is Shadow Soul, I know you're seventeen years old, I know you accidentally sent your mother into a coma when you were very young-"

"That's enough," Shane said. "Okay, I'll go with this. So, how are we getting to Titans' Tower, or whatever it's called?"

Avatar smiled. "Take my hand and you'll find out."

Shane did as she asked, and before he knew it he was flying through the air, this stranger being the only thing that kept him from plummeting to his doom, being carried away to his new home; Titans' Tower.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed that guys! Veronica Switz belongs to AngelicBrat123 and Shane Anders belongs to shadowjohn 101! Review!

xscifi :)


	6. Sabrina and the Saffire Falcon

Hey everyone! Okay, ao this chap will introduce The Mighty One's OC, Falcon, Saffire55's OC, Elizabeth Saffire Logan, and Sailor Navy Ranger's OC, Sabrina Johnson! I'm sorry for the amount of typos in the last chap, I was kinda rushing as I typed it ... I'd also like to thank The Mighty One for his amazing review on the last chap, and I'm sure that Shane and Falcon will team up sometime, T.M.O., I'm sure of it! I'd also like to thank everyone who submitted an OC, I'm just trying to see how many I've admitted to see if I have any more space ... Let's see: Grace Wilson, Natasha Dugan, Cesca, Tracie Makrov, Veronica Switz, Shane Anders, Sabrina Johnson, Elizabeth Saffire Logan, Falcon, Igim Ze, Lindsay Hunter Keeley, Asher Richardson and Jade Black. How many's that, like 13? Oh! I have no more spaces! YAY! And I've introduced Grace Wilson, Natasha Dugan, Cesca, Tracie Makrov, Veronica Switz, Shane Anders and after this chap Sabrina Johnson, Elizabeth Saffire Logan and Falcon? That's 9 OCs! Just four more to go! YAY!

xscifi :)

* * *

Sabrina Johnson walked briskly through the crowded halls of Jump City University, her science book and drawings in her hands.

_Don't want to be late for drawing_ again, she thought.

Sabrina, (known as 'Sab' to her friends) was an extremely intelligent and beautiful girl who was mad about anime, video games and science.

She hoped to be a zoologist or a cyrogenesist when she graduated, which would be in two years' time as she was a ninteen-year-old sophomore now.

Sabrina smiled at one of her classmates on her way in. His name was Adam, and, although Sabrina didn't know it, he (along with all of the other boys in the class) had a massive crush on her. I mean, what was there not to like? She was tall, slim, African-American with strangely honey blonde hair that was styled into a bunch of tiny little braids. She always managed to look stunning no matter what she wore, which always seemed to be an old pair of jeans and a graphic tee (usually with her fave manga or anime characters on the front).

As Sabrina took her seat beside her friend, Christina, her mind somehow drifted towards her past, in Florida ...

Sabrina had been the youngest born into a close-knit African-American family, consisting of her twin older brother and sister, Matthew and Madison, her mom, Kelly, and her dad, Ryan.

Sabrina frowned as she remembered that painful day, where she, her mom, and her dad had gone to the beach after Sabrina had begged them numerous times. On their way home, they were hit by a drunk driver. The collision killed both of Sabrina's parents and left her seriously injured, and left her siblings hating her and blaming her for their parents' deaths.

She'd moved to Jump when she was eighteen, just to get away from all of those painful memories. She found asylum in her drawings, using her skills to draw out her pain. She always felt better after drawing, it always left her with a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.

"Hey, guess what?" a tall, geeky boy yelled. "Mr. Varner isn't in today!"

"What?" the class erupted into questions. They only had two weeks to go until their exams, and there wasn't a substitute for Manga.

Sabrina sighed. She was _not_ looking forward to another empty class of studying. Studying? Please! She knew all of her passages for zoology off by heart. They were studying the wolf. _Not like that'll be a problem for me,_ Sabrina thought with a wry smile.

A few weeks after moving to Jump City, she'd found an experimented wolf dying on the side of the road. She took it home and nursed it back to health, but just as she was about to release it back into the wild, the wolf scatched and bit her, tranferring its altered genes into her blood stream.

_Now, well, let's just say I'm way faster and stronger than I used to be, ice doesn't bother me that much, and I have a ... strong connection to the wolf!_ Sabrina thought with a smile.

"Excuse me please, but is a certain Sabrina Johnson taking part in any of these rituals of education?" came a sweet voice from the door.

Sabrina looked around. Sure enough, at the door there stood a tall, beautiful girl, with strange emerald green eyes, ruby red hair and orange tan skin. She was wearing a purple tank top that exposed most of her toned stomach, and a light purple mini skirt that showed off most of her long, tanned legs.

"Yeah, I'm Sabrina," Sabrina said rather eagerly. _Curse my hyperness,_ she thought._ It comes at the worst possible times!_

"Would you come with me please, friend Sabrina?" the girl asked.

"Do I need my books?" Sabrina answered her question with another.

"No, you will not be needing your books for quite a while, I'm sure." the girl smiled.

Sabrina shot her friend Christina a look, before shrugging and following the pretty girl out the classroom doors, and into the empty corridors.

"Okay," Sabrina said. "What do you need me for?"

"I need your help," the girl answered. "Or rather, we need your help."

"Huh?" Sabrina asked, confused.

"Sabrina, I know this may seem confusing," the girl began. "But my name is Starfire. I am from a team that goes by the name of the Teen Titans, and we are in much trouble, so to speak. We have been requesting the help of other agers of teen to help us with this very difficult task, and I have been sent to ask you if you would like to join us."

"Wait," Sabrina said. "WHAT? I mean, how do you know, about me, I mean. And, what else exactly do you know about me?"

"I know that you are nineteen years old," Starfire said hestitantly. "I know that you have the ability to manipulate the ice and transform into a sort of wolf hybrid. While you are in hybrid form, you have great abilities of strength and speed, yes?"

"Yeah," Sabrina said. "But, don't you know my name? My other name, I mean."

Starfire smiled. "I find it rude for me to explain to you what your name is," she said. "Would you mind introducing yourself to me, my friend?"

Now it was Sabrina's turn to smile. "Hi," she said, offering the alien her hand. "My name is Ice Moon, and I would be delighted to join your team!"

"Marvellous!" Starfire shrieked, giving Sabrina an extra tight hug. "Welcome to our team, friend Ice Moon! And I am hoping you shall feel most at home there! Now come. We must make haste and get to the tower if you are to taste my marvellous Tamaranean dinner!"

Sabrina laughed as the happy alien carted her down the hall. _Maybe this won't be so bad after all_ ... she thought, as she left JCU and didn't bother looking back.

* * *

Raven was pacing from one side of the common room to the other, a worried frown on her beautiful face.

She was never worried about anything mostly, but today she couldn't stop. The other Titans and the Squadron were nearly finished their missions, but there was one recruit she wasn't sure would be all that happy about coming back to the team.

Falcon had left the team over a year ago. She'd been in love with him, he'd been in love with her, but he could sense that it wasn't meant to be between them. He'd been so careful with himself, with his inner demons, he was also careful with Raven.

_"You should be with Beast Boy,"_ he'd told her. _"I know that you have feelings towards him."_

He'd been right, Raven did have feelings for Beast Boy, and she was always very happy in his company. So why did she feel so sad?

"What's wrong, Rae?" Beast Boy asked, rising from his sitting place. His recruit, Tracie, had been sent down to the training room along with all of the other new recruits. His job was done, but Raven's wasn't.

"C'mon, Rae, you can tell me," he said, placing his hand gently on his worried friend's back.

"Look who's next on the recruitment list." Raven montoned, her hooded head kept downcast.

"Falcon?" Beast Boy said, confused. "But what would Robin want with-"

"Beast Boy, I'm recruiting him," Raven said sadly. "And I can't do it! Everything ended so ... strangely between us. I just can't even think about seeing him again without feeling heartbroken!" She started to cry.

"Shh, shh, Rae," Beast Boy said, taking the crying empath into his arms. "You don't have to go! There's still plenty more new recruits on the list. Why don't you get that Asher guy?"

Raven sniffed. "Okay," she said. "But what about Falcon?"

"I know somebody who can take care of him," Beast Boy assured her. "Now don't be so sad, okay? This'll only take a sec."

Raven nodded, leaving Beast Boy to get his communicator and leave the room.

He hadn't been in touch with this person in a while, despite his close connection to her, and Beast Boy thought about this as he dialled in the connection to Titans South's tower.

"Hello?" Hot Spot answered, his flaming head suddenly appearing on screen.

"Hey, Hot Spot," Beast Boy smiled. "Is that little brat of a sister of mine there?"

"Yeah, she is," Hot Spot grinned. "Watcha want her for?"

"It's kinda ... classified," Beast Boy said carefully. "Personal stuff, no offence."

"Falcon?" Hot Spot asked.

Beast Boy nodded.

"Okay," said Hot Spot. "Saffire! Your brother's on the communicator!"

"Coming!" came a light voice from in the background. "Hello?"

Beast Boy smiled as he saw his sister's pretty face fill the screen. With her long, blue hair, pale skin and sapphire blue eyes, Saffire was a very attractive girl.

"What's up BB?" she smiled playfully. "Come to organize our annual armwrestling match?"

"No this time," Beast Boy chuckled. "I've come to talk to you about Falcon."

Saffire's face fell. "Oh," she said. "Has he come back yet?"

"No, not yet I'm afraid," Beast Boy answered. "Look, you know about the Teen Squadron, right?"

"Yeah," Saffire grinned. "They played dodgeball with us a few weeks ago. We had a blast! Anyways, about them?"

"Well, Delphi had a vision a few days ago," Beast Boy began. "She says there's something big coming, and we need all the help we can get."

"So you need Falcon?" Saffire asked.

"Not just Falcon," Beast Biy replied. "But a whole bunch of other supers as well. Even you, Elizabeth."

"Don't call me Elizabeth," Saffire laughed. "And I'll help you, BB. So, what do you want me to do?"

"I want you to go to Gotham," Beast Boy said slowly. "We have reason to believe that Falcon may be in Arkham Asylum right now. We need you to go get him."

"Okay, Gar," Saffire said. "But don't be too surprised if he doesn't want to come back."

"I won't," Beast Boy assured. "See ya, Saf."

"See ya, BB."

And they both switched off their communicators in unison.

* * *

Alex Jonathon W. was sitting in the Arkham Asylum records room, flipping through a bunch of different files.

He was searching for his own one, as he had spent a short time in the asylum himself as a child.

_This may bring me closer to finding a way to end all of this,_ he thought, cupping his chin studiously as he continued to flip. _Nothing._

He sighed. His behaviour patterns were positively normal, despite him having been traumatized before his stay there. _No luck,_ he thought angrily. _I think I'll continue my search elsewhere ..._

**Gotham Memorial Library ...**

Alex took in a deep breath as he gazed upon the great, abondoned building, one of which had many statues of birds and animals dotted about the place.

"It sure is a pity they never thought to rebuild this place," Alex mused aloud. "It was quite a majestic library in its time."

As he began his climb up the plentiful library steps, he passed a statue. A falcon. He smiled. He was a falcon, but not anymore.

Alex stepped in through the old, broken doors, careful not to cut himself on any of the glass that lay scattered on the ground. Vandals and thugs often marked their territory in this place, as well hormonal teenagers who came to the place for make-out sessions.

_Perhaps I am no better than them,_ Alex thought. _After all, I am trespassing, am I not?_

Alex made his way over to the human interest section, the place where all of the birth certificates were kept.

After half an hour of searching, Alex gave up. A whole day of disappointment and dead ends ... He was pretty stressed out, perhaps a little meditation was in order?

He nodded. Yes, that was what would calm him down. He'd be fine after a few minutes of practising his mantra.

He sat down and crossed his legs, bringing his thumb and his pointing fingers together and outstretching all of the rest. He began to chant, allowing the shadows that moved inside of him to dance free and careless within his soul. His abilities over the shadows were almost limitless, he enjoyed using them but he also sensed that they were a part of his dark side as well.

Necromancy, as most old sorcerers had called it, was the ability to manipulate shadows to do your will, by placing your powers into a soulful, or inaminimate object. Alex's object was his soul, and his affinity for the shadows became more heightened while he was meditating, as were his senses of sight, taste, smell, touch and sound.

_THUMP!_

Alex lazily opened one eye before getting up. Who could that be? he asked internally, summoning a flame into his hand and slowly making his way over to the door of the library.

"Who's there?" he asked, not an ounce of threat in his gentle voice. "Show yourself! I have no wish to hurt you!"

"Falcon?" came a voice from behind the door.

"Saffire?" Alex, or Falcon asked, running to hug his old friend. "Of, Saffire! I've missed you so much!"

"Falcon!" Saffire said blissfully as she buried her head in Falcon's chest. "Oh, Falcon! I've missed you too!"

"Let me look at you," Falcon said, pulling away so he could see his friend properly.

Her long, blue hair. Her sapphire coloured eyes. Her pale skin. Her smile. Her rose tattoo. Her beauty ...

"Your eyes," Falcon said gently, placing his bare hands on both of her cheeks, cupping her face, lifting it up to his. He gasped.

-FLASHBACK-

_Pain, hurt, devestation, loneliness, love._

-END OF FLASHBACK-

"Falcon?" Saffire said gently. "Which of my memories did you see?"

"I can't believe I put you through all of this," Falcon said sadly. "Saffire, why did you not tell me this?"

"Because you made your decision final," Saffire said sadly. "When you left, because of Raven and my brother ... you were so hurt, even though you still had me, you left! I couldn't tell you. You were so sad ..."

"Not as sad as you though," Falcon said gently. "Why have you come here, my friend? Tell me what is wrong."

"I know you're just going to say no anyways, but-" Saffire took a deep breath. "We need you back, Falcon. Something's coming. It's going to be big. We need all the help we can get ..."

"I know," Falcon said. "I sensed this new monster in the worst of my nightmares, she is quite haunting. Of course you'll be needing some help."

"So you'll come back?" Saffire asked eagerly.

"Of course I will," Falcon smiled. "I'll always come back, only for you."

And then he kissed her.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed that!

xscifi :)


	7. Leaving and Gaining A Home

HEY EVERYBODY! Sorry for the use of capitals and exclamation points, but, seriously guys! All thirteen picked out and ready! WOOOO! ... Well, they're not COMPLETELY ready, still have four more to introduce! I'd like to thank everybody who submitted an OC and actually waited it out for theirs to be introduced, that means a lot! I'd also like tho thank everybody who's been so supportive of the story and have been spurring me on by telling me I'm doing a good job with their OCs and with everybody else's, that also means a lot! ^^; I think I may introduce 3 OCs in this chap, because it'll just get everything over and done with faster, you know? I can't wait to write about how every amazingly cool OC interacts with the others, and do a shot focusing on each of them. I also can't wait to introduce the villain, who'll be something NONE of you will expect! Anyways, I've rambled for long enough, hope you enjoy the chap!

xscifi :)

* * *

Lindsay Hunter Keeley held her bow and arrow up to her target, her right eye shut and her finger coiled, ready to release the string which held the arrow into place at any moment.

It was seven AM at Titans East's Tower, and (as usual) Lindsay was the first one up, training on the roof as the sun rose.

The rays of the sun made her shoulder length brown hair look auburn and really brought out the littlw gold flecks in her hazel eyes.

Speedy couldn't help but sigh, she looked so beautiful.

Lindsay swung around.

"Hey, Speedster," she said, her voice light. "Come to spy on me again?"

Speedy laughed. "Just checkin' out the competition for best marksman on the team, that's all."

"I'm winning, obviously," Lindsay grinned, releasing her finger. The arrow shot straight for the target, hitting it SMACK in the middle. Bull's eye.

"Well done," Speedy remarked, giving out a small whistle. "There doesn't seem to be a competiton!"

Lindsay smiled. "What are you doing up so early, Speedster?"

"I got a call from Robin, actually," Speedy said. "Stupid Boy Wonder came calling at six o'clock in the morning." he grimaced. "He was telling me about a-"

"BARK! BARK! BARK!"

"Holly!" Lindsay smiled, dropping her bow and kneeling down to pet the golden labrador. "What are you doing up so early, girl?"

Lindsay had had Holly ever since her tenth birthday, while she still lived with her mom and dad. Her dad had given it to her because she'd had a huge interest in hunting an animals, and Holly had been very helpful when it came to the hunt. When she was twwelve, Lindsay had signed up to earn her hunting licence at her dad's hunting club, and with Holly she began hunting pheasants and dear. She'd always been very skilled at archery but was pretty good at handling guns as well, but she preferred her bow and arrow. Her life had been very happy, up until that fateful day she came home from school when she was thirteen.

She and Holly had come bounding in through the door, everything being normal, when she saw her parents being held up by a robber. The robber ordered her to get out of the house or he'd kill her parents andespite her parents pleas, she refused. The robber took the gun to both of her parents before stealing her parents' life savings and getting out of the house. Holly had barked at the robber and ran after him, catching him and keeping him from escaping while Lindsay called 911 and said goodbye to her parents.

After that she'd travelled to the East Coast and met Speedy, who, at sixteen was two years older than her, while he was stopping a bank robbery. He was knocked down by the robber, who was swiftly making his getaway, but luckily, Lindsay had had her bow and arrow on her and stopped the robber. She became fast friends with Speedy and his friends from Titans East, which surprised her because she'd always been very shy around other people.

But anyways, back to the present.

"Anyways," Speedy continued, sidling up to the six feet tall fourteen-year-old archer. Lindsay had always been tall for her age, which she hated. "Robin was telling me about the Teen Squadron-"

"Yeah, I've heard of them," Lindsay smiled. "That Gymnasti-Girl seems alright ..." _Not_, she added silently. Lindsay wasn't exactly happy with how Gymnasti-Girl flirted with Speedy, and how Speedy flirted back.

"Yeah," Speedy said uncomfortably, blushing as he thought of the pretty, blonde super. "Well, Robin said that Delphi had a vision, and there's something big coming."

"And?" Lindsay said, losing interest and going back to her archery.

"And they need a lot of help."

Lindsay froze.

"You knew you had to make this choice one day, Huntress," Speedy said softly. "You're too good to be riding with us. You should be out there with Robin and the guys, the big dogs ..."

"Don't say that!" Lindsay snapped, Holly giving a forceful bark of agreement. "I could never leave you guys, Speedy. What about you? Or Bumblebee? Or Aqualoser? Or Mas Y Menos?"

"We'll be fine!" Speedy said, trying his best to sound cheerful. "They need you, Huntress. Way more than we need you right now."

Lindsay hesitated. "Fine," she said. "I'll go, but only if I can come straight back here when it's all over."

"Of course," Speedy smiled. "And I'll be the one waiting for you in the ops room."

At that point, Lindsay felt very upset, as she fell into the waiting arms of her best friend and cried, as Holly the dog curiously looked on.

* * *

Asher Richardson was running.

"Hey! Get back here!" Somebody yelled angrily at him. "No playing dirty! I want my money back!"

Somehow, Asher managed to sigh as he ran. When you were living on the streets, you had to do some pretty desperate things if you wanted food, money or clothes, and Asher's was street brawling. He'd been pretty good, but often had to pay for his winnings, not by giving away money, but physically. He was already aching from his most recent fight ...

Asher decided to duck into a dark alley and wait for his pursuer to run on ahead, then he'd go 'home'. Asher rolled his eyes. His home was sleeping outside the music store with his guitar and his cardboard box, hanging around until any Linkin Park or Three Days Grace came on.

The stores lady was kind, by allowing him to loiter and by sometimes bringing him some food, but she'd never let him inside. She was very shy, and preferred not to 'get involved'.

Asher could roll with that, he was an agreeable guy. Except when it came to the guy chasing him ...

"Excuse me?" a cool, calm voice said, talking to the guy who'd been chasing Asher. "I'm looking for a certain Asher Richardson. I was told that he lives around ..."

Asher peaked around the corner to see who was speaking. Sure enough, the voice belonged to a girl who was wearing a long, blue cloak with the hood pulled up, casting a black shadow over her face and making a bird beak-like shadow over her nose. She looked oddly familiar ...

"Why would you be looking for scum like him?" Asher's pursuer spat. "He's a no-good cheapskate! I wouldn't be getting involved with him if I were you!"

"You don't understand," the calm monotone said firmly. "It's rather urgent, so if you wouldn't mind telling me if you've seen him ..."

"HEY!" The pursuer snapped. "I already told you what I thought about Asher, and I ain't giving no location to nobody!" he grabbed her wrist. "Got it, pretty lady?"

"Let go of my hand," the girl said, trying her best not to get angry.

"NO!" the pursuer snapped, spitting in the girl's face as he spoke.

"You're drunk," the girl gasped, her already pale complexion getting paler.

"I know," the pursuer gurgled. "Ain't it grand?"

"LET GO OF HER!" Asher roared, getting out from his place in the alley and revealing himself to the man.

"You again?" the pursuer sighed. "GET AWAY, ASHER! I SAW HER FIRST!"

"LET GO OF HER!" Asher said again, his voice dangerously low.

A simple "No," was all it took to set him off.

Asher growled as he clicked his fingers and summoned a spark. He began spreading his finger out and in, causing the spark to turn to a flame, and make the flame grow bigger.

"Get away from her!" Asher yelled, hurling the fireball at the drunk guy.

He cried out, trying to extinguish the flame with his bare hands (not succeeding, may I add).

The cloaked girl looked on emotionlessly, before sighing and raising her hand to the flailing drunk. A black aura enveloped the man's body, extinguishing the flame and knocking him unconscious in the process.

"Whoa!" Asher breathed. "How did you-"

"How do you throw fire?" the girl cut in with a smile. "How does my team mate, Beast Boy, shape shift into different animals? How does my friend, Starfire, fly? Simple answer- We're all gifted, Asher."

"How do you know my name?" Asher asked, confused.

"I'm an empath," the girl said, removing her hood. Asher sucked in his breath. Wowzers, she was hot!

"Do I know you?" Asher said. "Your face looks awfully familiar ..."

"You may have seen me on Channel 5, with the rest of the Teen Titans."

"You mean ... You're-"

"Raven," Raven answered. "And I came here to ask for your help, Asher. The Titans- we've been faced with an immensely difficult task, and we need all the help we can get."

"Wait, what?" Asher gasped. "You're asking me to join?"

Raven answered with a slight nod.

"I couldn't," Asher mumbled, looking down to his feet. "I mean, I've never fit in anywhere ... are you seriously expecting me to fit in with a bunch of other supers?"

"I did," Raven smiled. "Come with me, Asher. I know what it's like to be alone. But you'll find refuge in the Titans. Take it from someone who thought she was too evil to deserve friends. That she didn't fit in. That nobody liked her."

Asher hesitated. "I can't remember who I am ..." he said softly. "One day I woke up, and ... Nothing. I was in a hospital, nobody was there for me ..."

Raven put her hand on his shoulder. "I can assure you that we''l be," she said. "Will you join us?"

Asher nodded. "Okay," he said, following the empath to his new home.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed that guys!Lindsay Keeley belongs to Linzerj and Asher Richardson belongs to Downward Spiral 1! Review!

xscifi :)


	8. Reflections and Robberies

**YES! I AM FINALLY FINISHED!**

Hey guys! The last two OCs are going to be introduced in this chapter! Woo hoo! ^-^ I'm soooo happy right now, you guys! I can't believe I'm nearly done with all of the OC introductions, and I'd just like to thank everybody for submitting their awesome OCs and waiting it out for them to be introduced. RavenxIsxAxBlackxRose won the 'Guess who the Mary-Sure is' contest, so her OC, Grace or Mercenary, will get a chapter focusing on her (next chapter). Also, the villain'll be introduced in the next chapter, so I'm holding another contest! 'Guess who the villain is!'. Your guess doesn't count, Black Rose, you already know! XD Well, this is the last introduction before I bring all of the Titans and the OCs together *Sobs* Why? WHY? Oh well, I'm actually pretty happy about that, but now I'm kinda stuck for ideas, so I'm OPEN, if anyone wants to pitch an idea for the future plot! ^-^ Before I go, I'd like to thank PfeifPfish728 for her incredibly RANDOM review *fills Pfeif's random plate with more OCs* here ya go! Enjoy that Pfeif, there's a lot more to come ;) The OCs introduced in this chap are Jade Black or Nightshade, who belongs to loveoc, and Igim Ze or Paradox Theory, who belongs to BlakDawn. Anyways, hope you all enjoy this chapter, I found it particularly difficult (which is why it took so long for me to post this) so sorry for that!

Slán! (that's Irish for goodbye, I'm Irish!)

xscifi :)

* * *

Jade Black was already in superhero mode, running for her life as a couple of robbers chased her.

_Look what you've gotten yourself into this time, Nightshade,_ she thought, referring to herself by her alias.

She always thought of herself as a bit of a rebel, not wanting to take orders or follow the rules. It often got her into trouble, and her rebellious nature was just the reason why she wanted to become a hero; to enforce the rules when you can't follow them. Impossible, maybe, but Jade loved a challenge. And sometimes those challenges got her into trouble ...

Like now.

"Get back here!" one of the robbers yelled. They were NOT happy that she'd spoiled their attempt to rob the jewelry store (she'd stolen their gear) and they were now chasing after her.

BAM! BAM!

"Crap! They've got guns!" Jade muttered. Guns were the one things she wasn't immune to. And by immune I mean, gun wounds were the one thing she couldn't heal instantaeously.

She swung around, tired of running. _This is getting dangerous ..._ she thought. _Running will only make you more vulnerable ..._

The robbers were taken aback, not expecting her to turn around when they clearly had an advantage.

"Watcha gonna do now, beautiful?" one of them leered.

Jade shyed away from the comment, although she was clearly a very beautiful girl; She was tall, and tanned and muscular, with sleak, black hair that shone blue in the light, with eyes that were so dark that you couldn't tell where the irises ended and the pupils began. The tight, black jeans she was wearing clung to her long, muscular legs, a black tank top revealing her muscular arms. Her black, high-heeled boots elevated her already impressive height, summing her up to be a beautiful, but entirely dangerous girl.

"Uh, how does 'kick your sorry robbing butts' sound?" Jade taunted.

"Pretty cocky for a girl, aren't you?" a smug, and completely sexist robber, smirked.

"I have every right to be," Jade sniffed indignantly. "For one, I'm not the one who has Cinderblock standing behind them."

The robbers looked back in panic, and Jade seized their distraction to begin her attack.

She grabbed a long, narrow pipe that was sitting nearby and whacked the first robber in the head, taking adavntage of her ability to make a weapon out of anything.

She flipped over to the next robber, swinging the pipe around like a bo-stick, knocking two of the robbers down at once.

_Three down,_ she thought in relief. _Just two more to go ..._

The next two robbers would be more difficult to take on, Jade noted. The first one was the one who had been shooting at her, so she had the gun to worry about. The second one was big, really big, and muscular, a lot fiercer and stronger looking than she was.

Jade took it in her stride though, taking a deep breath and jumping up to kick the second robber. He ducked, Jade noting his agility and apparent skill of dodging, and took a swipe for her stomach.

Jade darted out of the way, using her bo-stick (*cough, cough* pipe. *cough, cough*) to take a stab at his hand.

The robber howled in pain, grabbing his hand and nursing it. Jade siezed this oppurtunity to jump on his back (he'd turned away from her) and kick him to the ground. The robber grunted as he went down, and, still on his back, Jade raised her bo-stick high above her head and slammed it down as hard as she could on his head, knocking him unconscious.

Jade stepped off him, rather pleased with herself. She laughed, something she often did when she was on her own, leaving a lot of people to think she was really stupid, when, actually, she was pretty intelligent.

"What you laughing at?" a chilling voice demanded.

Jade froze. She'd forgotten about the gunman ...

Jade didn't waste a second, running up to the man and punching him hard in the jaw before he even wiped the cocky smirk off his ugly, dirty face. After the punch, she brought her knee up into his middle, causing him to yowl in pain and crunch down to nurse his sore ... area.

Jade showed no mercy though, bringing him up and slamming him down hard against the pavement again. He grunted in pain, furious that he had nothing to do, but then he remebered ... he had a gun.

The robber smirked, taking hold of the firearm and raising it to Jade, who wasn't aware of him because her bo-stick was broken and covered in blood, and now she was pondering how it had gotten there ...

BAM!

"AAARRRGGGHHH!" Jade screeched in pain, collapsing to the ground as a sharp pain hit her leg, and blood began pulsing from it.

The robber laughed, happy to see her pain. Jade growled at him, shifting her weight to her right arm and attempting to push herself up. Her muscles were hard and used to labour, so she was well able to do it.

The robber was too busy laughing to notice Jade was now crawling towards him, grunting ever so slightly with every move, until she was close enough to his legs to grab him and pull him down.

The robber shrieked, not expecting the pull, and fell hard on his back. Jade pushed herself on top of him and began hammering him with punches, until he was unconscious.

Jade smirked, heaving herself off of him and nursing her poor leg.

"Ahh ..." she hissed as she tried to remove the bullet. "At least I have them all down, though ..."

CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!

"Who's there?" Jade's head snapped up at the sound of clapping as she reached for her broken bo-stick.

"Well done," a deep voice rang out, ignoring her question. "Your combat skills are quite impressive, as are you agility and evasiveness."

"Who are you?" Jade said, surprised. "A mummy detective?" she smirked. She enjoyed making fun of people.

"Like I haven't heard that one before!" the man snorted. He was tall, Jade noted, much taller than the guy with the muscles. Buffer too, with a hat and a 1930s style trench coat and bandages wrapped around his face and neck.

"So you were watching me the whole time I was fighting these guys?" Jade asked. "And you didn't think to help? I was frickin' shot!"

The man shrugged. "I wanted to see how you did under pressure," he said, his voice not muffled in the slightest despite the bandages wrapped around his head. "And speaking of your injury, let me have a look at that ..."

He lowered himself to her level, gently taking her leg in his massive hand (Jade wincing as he did so) and examined it. He removed the bullet with ease, and placed his free hand over the wound. There was a soft white glow, and before Jade knew it, her leg was back to normal.

"Gee," she breathed. "Thank you, sir."

"You're welcome, Nightshade," The man replied.

"Wait," Jade snapped. "How did you know my name?"

"I need your help," he said, dodging her question. "The Teen Titans are in need of new recruits and I agreed to help them search. Will you join us?"

Jade hesitated. She'd always been a rebel at heart, and following someone else's orders were definitely not her style. It would be virtually impossible to do this! ... But then, Jade DID love a challenge!

"Fine then," she said casually. "When do we go?"

"Now's a good time," the man said. "My name is Press, by the way."

"Why Press?" Jade asked as she followed him over to a shiny black Bentley.

"Why Nightshade?" Press retorted.

Jade glowered. He wasn't as easy to toy with as she would've thought.

"Tou shé," she muttered, sliding into the front passenger seat. (A/N: I'm pretty sure I spelled that wrong!)

They drove in silence.

"So," Jade said awkwardly. "A Bentley, huh? Not a motorcycle?"

"When you look like I do, you could hardly imagine zooming around on a motorcycle," Press answered.

"Not even a Ferarri? Or a Viper?" Jade pressed.

Press sighed. Jade was going to be very hard to handle indeed ...

* * *

Delphi was rather miffed.

"Starfire, I honestly think that you'd be better suited to recruit this hero," she complained to the busy Tamaranean, who was currently zipping around the Tower, counting rooms to make sure they had enough room for their new recruits.

"Please, Delphi," a very distracted Starfire muttered. "As much as I would love to go and meet Igim myself I must stay here. Robin has ordered us to spread out and make this mission easier so we must recruit a hero each, yes? I have already recruited Ice Moon, and your teammates are already finished with their missions, and it would be only fair if you were to do the pulling of your own weight!"

Delphi was surprised. She had never seen Starfire so worked up or mean.

"I'm sorry to have been a burden then," she said, her jaw clenching.

"Oh, Delphi!" Starfire exclaimed, pain in her pretty face. "I am sorry! It is just that I am so stressed with trying to find accomodation for our new teammates and am worried for the outcome of our battle! I did not mean to offend you or to be so inappropriate! I am sorry!"

"It's okay, Star," Delphi sighed, knowing for her thoughts that the alien meant every word of her apology. "But I can't go to Tamaran on my own! There must be some other way ..."

"There isn't another way!" Mercenary piped up. "Think about it, Del. I gotta go all the way to Diamond City on my own just to meet this Red X guy, and everyone else had to go alone!"

If Starfire hadn't been so distracted she probably would have pointed out that Red X was both an ally and an enemy to the Titans, but she was too busy to say anything.

"Nobody else had to go to frickin' space!" Delphi snapped, showing off her impressive temper.

"Calm down, Del," Press's deep voice soothed as he entered with his recruit. He walked straight up to Delphi and draped his strong arms around her.

As soon as she saw Press's lanky, muscular figure slink in, Delphi calmed down. They'd been dating for over two weeks now but Delphi was still as loved up with him now as she after they'd first become a couple.

"... So, not even a scooter?" Press's recruit was saying, obviously continuing a conversation.

"Conversation's closed, Nightshade," Press said, grinning at Delphi.

Nobody else could see this smile, of course (due to Press's bandages), but Delphi knew his face so well she could tell when the muscles in his cheeks lifted or sagged.

"Uh, Del? You got a mission, remember?" Mercenary said.

"Quiet, Merc," Delphi smiled at Press. "I'm in my happy place at the moment, and it's the only thing that's keeping me from going up to Robin's room and strangling him for giving me a mission in space."

"Uh, aren't you the one who had the vision in the first place?" Merecnary snapped. "And you were really freaked out too."

Delphi froze.

"If whatever coming is bad enough to scare the bejeezus out of you, why are you standing there flirting with your boyfriend?"

"Mercenary's right, Del," Press sighed. "You should go. There isn't much time left ..."

"But, Press-"

Suddenly, Press pulled her closer to him, unravelled the bandages around his mouth and and kkissed her sweetly for a bit. Immediately, she got excited, throwing her arms around him and pulling him closer, their togues entwining.

"Ahem," came Nightshade's voice. "Get a frickin' room!"

Starfire smiled at the couple, momentarily pulled from her work, and Mercenary pulled a face.

Delphi pulled out from the kiss, but Press pulled her back in and whispered in her ear, "Tonight."

"Tonight," Delphi agreed, kissing him once more before pulling away.

"I'll go with you to the hanger, Delphi," Mercenary said. "I'm going out the same way, only I'm not leaving by rocket!"

Delphi glared at her, but Mercenary just grinned back.

They walked to the hanger together, and it was silent until Mercenary piped up, "So, you and the mummy, huh?"

"Yup," Delphi said, a dreamy expression on her stunning face.

"Is he a good kisser?"

"The best."

"Has he said Those Three Words yet?"

"Huh?"

"Y'know, I Love You?"

Delphi made a face. She knew Press liked her and all but they'd never been that ... open. They'd made a rule between them that Delphi wouldn't read Press's mind and he wouldn't read hers, they'd both a have mental shields and respect each other's privacy. Those Three Words had never crossed her mind.

"No," Delphi said, embarrassed.

"How long have you been dating?"

"Nearly two weeks."

"Oh, okay then."

They reached the hanger.

"Well, this is my stop," Mercenary grinned.

Before them stood a black motorcycle with an electric green T-Car design. It looked very much like the R-Cycle, except there was no R and the colours were black and green instead of green, red and yellow.

"I will be thanking Cy until I am on my deathbed for this," Mercenary smiled, whipping out a black helmet and sticking it on.

"Have fun in space!" she called as the basement door opened and the road stretched out for her to make her way to Diamond City. With a subtle _vroom_ she was gone.

Delphi sighed.

Unknowingly, her new friend had set seeds of doubt in her mind. Press hadn't said "I love you" yet. Was that a big deal? They'd known each other for a long time, four years, with Delphi having a crush on him all the while. _Should I be worried?_

She shook her head.

_No,_ she thought. Two weeks was too soon. He wouldn't have told her he loved her after just two weeks, would he?

She shook her head.

_Forget it,_ she told herself. _There are bigger things at stake here than your love life._

Delphi looked at her transport to Tamaran: A small red ship made for one passenger only. Small, but for improvised work and a ship so small, it would be enough to take her where she needed to go.

Heaving another sigh, she got in and started her long journey.

* * *

Igim Ze was marvelling at Tamaran's beauty.

With its purple skies, yellow setting sun and majestic, intricate architecture, it really was breathtaking. Breathtaking, with a dark side.

Just one hundred short years ago, he had been held captive in the dungeons deep below, strapped to a table while the Tamaraneans poked and prodded him with needles and experimented on him. He was from the planet Zetlosia, the alternate version of Tamaran, a planet that had been destryed during a Tamaranean invasion during the time the Tamaraneans and the Psians were at war.

The Tamaraneans believed the Zetlosians could help them win the war against Psia, but they were less than willing to help them. The Zetlosians were a peaceful race. They didn't believe in war.

The Tamaraneans took it personally and destroyed the planet, taking a handful of Zetlosians with them to experiment on.

Igim's mother and father had been killed before his eyes, his brother strangled, his sister raped and beaten to death. He'd have rather died with them than come to Tamaran and play lab rat, he was above that.

The other 'lab rats' eventually dies off from the poisons and chemicals the Tamaraneans had fed them, while they had a different effect entirely on Igim.

Originally, his skin had been blue and his hair yellow, but after the experimentations he now had light blue-gray skin and black hair, with bergundy eyes and a tall, muscular figure.

He possessed his planet's natural ability to bend reality (as the Tamaraneans' natural ability was flight and the Psians' natural ability was mind reading and telepathy) but he eventually found he could do much, much more - he could do the impossible.

Once he provoked a gaurd that was minding him, causing the gaurd to quip, "Why don't you just bust yourself out of here?"

Igim did it.

After his escape he became one of the most feared mercenaries in the galaxy, and was known throughout every other demention. His reputation was so great in fact, that the Demon king, Trigon, had asked him to aid him in his quest to end the world. But then he saw that Igim was too powerful, so he got rid of him.

A little while later, Igim was captured by the Tamaraneans again. But now that they were under new rule, their new ruler felt awfully guilty for destroying Zetlosia, so they set him free and allowed him to live among them.

He became friends with the young princess, Koriand'r, and her brother, Ryand'r, and even managed to soften the ever scornful Komand'r. Just a little bit.

But, things changed when Ryand'r went missing and Koriand'r and Komand'r were sent away to make peace with the Psians. The king and queen were eventually killed off, and Tamaran had come under the new rule of a heartless male who once again sought to destroy parralel demention planets.

Like his home had been destroyed a thousand years ago ...

A thousand years, and he still looked fifteen.

Why? Because along with the ability to bend reality, the Zetlosians aged at an incredibly slow rate. For every nine hundred and thirty-three that passed, they'd age one. Igim was now fourteen thousand years old, which technically made him fifteen.

As Igim quietly collected his thoughts, a small red spaceship landed beside him.

Surprised, Igim stepped back, only to take a step forward again when he saw who walked out.

A stunningly, heartbreakingly beautiful girl with pale skin and white hair that had two long black bangs on either side of her stunning face. Her mouth was set in a pout and her piercing blue eyes were full of anger. She was obviously not very happy to be here.

"Listen up, Igim," she said in a melodic but hard voice. "No questions until I stop talking."

She took a deep breath.

"My name is Delphi, and I am from planet Earth. Like you, I'm gifted. I can read minds and move things by will, and I can also see into the future," she winced. "This ability is sometimes a burden, but at other times, it's pretty handy. A few days ago, I saw something awful. A figure full of pure evil. A flawless, powerful figure that could garuntee the end of the universe. Not the world, the UNIVERSE." she sighed. "There are more people like us on Earth, Igim. Good, strong, honest people who want to put a stop to this evil so everyone can just get on with their lives. There aren't many of us, which is why I'm here."

Igim looked at her expectantly.

"We need your help," Delphi pleaded. "There are others we have asked and are now aboard with us, but it's not enough. Your power could make the difference between us losing and them winning or vice versa. Not just you, but everyone. We NEED everyone. And without everyone, no-one will get to live anymore, alright?"

Igim cleared his throat. "I understand ... Delphi," he hesitated. "Please, if I were to agree to help you and your colleagues, what would the riskd be?"

"Your life, my life and the end of the universe as we know it," Delphi answered, not holding anything back.

Igim thought for a moment. This figure, this evil, was threatening to end a perfectly good world. Igim had seen Earth from a distance, and had been astonished by its pure beauty. To think that something as beautiful as that could be destroyed would be a terrible waste. There may have been families, like his own, on that planet, perfectly happy with their current lives.

What if this evil took hostages to experiment on? What if they were forced to go through the same guilt he had?

Igim sighed. "I will help you," he said grudgingly. "The dangers outweigh the advantages, but it is for a good cause. When do we leave?"

"Right now's a good time," Delphi said impatiently. "It's a bit crowded, but we'll get back to Earth very quickly in my ship. Just you wait." She stretched out a hand. "Care to step in first?"

Igim shrugged. He honestly didn't mind.

For who would mind a cramped, close three hour trip back to Earth if you were travelling with an incarnation of a Greek goddess?

* * *

Hope ya enjoyed that! Review!

xscifi :)


	9. Jase for Grace: Always and Forever

Hey peoples! I'm baaaa-aaack! :D And I've brought a new chapter with me! XD Okay, so this chap will focus on RavenxIsxAxBlackxRose's OC, Grace Wilson (Mercenary) and her past, as well as Red X, and some of his past. A lot of you may be wondeirng why I'm putting so much focus on just this OC, but BlackRose won the 'guess who the Mary-Sue is' contest, so this was her prize! XD Also, the villain shall be announced! ^-^ So, competiton's closed. I CAN'T BELIEVE NOBODY GOT IT! :'( Seriously? I mean, the story's themed around OCs, and the villain's initials are 'M.S'. Still don't know? Ay basura, people! Ah well, you'll know at the end of the chap anyways ;) Anyways, I've decide to issue a new competition! ^-^ 'Guess the pairings!' Hehe, it's not going to be as easy as you think, for one, I'm really sorry, but some OCs will not be paired with the person their creator requested, so there's going to be some OC/OC pairings ;). Also, a great big thanks to AngelicBrat123, The Mighty One, Saffire55, RavenxIsxAxBlackxRose, shadowjohn 101, Sailor Navy Ranger, PfeifPfish728, Stormy Nightengale and Linzerj for their awesome support and great reviews. Thanks for keeping me motivated guys! XD Anyways, on with this chapter!

xscifi :)

**DISCLAIMER:** Grace Wilson and Laura Wilson are property of RavenxIsxAxBlackxRose. Slade Wilson, Jericho, Grant and Rose Wilson and Jason Todd are property of DC Comics, and the alias Red X is property of Warner Bros. Studios.

**DEDICATION:** This chapter is dedicated to RavenxIsxAxBlackxRose and The Mighty One. Black Rose for her amazing support and constant assurance that I'm not completely screwing up her OC, Grace, and The Mighty One for being there for me during a tough (but short) time, being a great help to the action scene in the ceond last shot (in fact, he wrote the whole fight. I just came up with the romance and the flashback), as well as opening my eyes to the bigger picture. Thanks guys! I couldn't have done it without your help! ;)

* * *

"It's a girl," the midwife grinned as he took the crying newborn into his arms.

Laura let out a sigh, lowering her numbed legs and peering at the baby. She was so tiny, covered in blood and screaming.

_Delightful_ ... Laura thought sarcastically as the doctors cleaned the baby off.

"She's beautiful," her ex-partner smiled tenderly as he looked on.

Laura rolled her eyes.

"Now, Laura ..." he began. "About custody of our daughter ..."

"You ain't getting her," Laura snarled. "You may have brought her here, but I threw up, got swelled feet, waddled about like a whale, screamed, pushed, and squeezed for this girl, yet you didn't do anything." she sniffed. "Except enjoy yourself."

"Laura," her partner said evenly, trying to keep his temper. "We both know that you can't provide the same home for her that I can. After all, you're unemployed at the moment."

"I can live on benefits," Laura muttered, crossing her arms.

"Is that really a dignified way to live?" her partner raised an eyebrow.

"As long as she's getting what she needs, it is," Laura snapped. "Listen, buddy. You don't give a rat's ass about me, or the kid either. I know that. So why are you taking her away from me? To spite me?"

"You have problems, Laura," her partner snarled. "Don't pretend like you don't know what I'm on about, but I saw you. Sniffing coke, and knocking back a full bottle of wine within half an hour."

Laura glowered at him. "I'm sober now." she said.

"But for how long?" her partner pressed. "Every addict goes back to their old ways eventually. Nobody can change ..."

"You did," Laura said quietly. "At least, I THOUGHT you did. For me."

"I wish I could've," her partner sighed. "Now, back to the child-"

"And back to me saying: 'NO!'"

"Why do you want to keep her so much?"

"Because she's MINE!"

"She's MINE too!"

"I'm still getting her though!"

"FINE!"

"FINE!"

"I'M LEAVING!"

"GO THEN!"

"Laura?"

Laura swallowed. "Yes, Slade?"

"What's her name?"

"Grace," Laura answered. "Her name is Grace Wilson."

Slade nodded, before walking out of the delivery room.

An embarrassed looking midwife walked past her with Grace in her arms.

"Where are you taking my daughter?" Laura asked, suddenly worried.

"We're just taking her to get checked out by some other doctors, honey," the midwife said.

"Why?" Laura said, alarmed. "Is there anything wrong?"

"Nothing," the midwife said. "It's just her heart. It's beating a little faster than normal, we're just going to go slow it down."

"Oh," Laura sighed. "Okay then."

As the midwife walked out of the delivery room with her newborn daughter, Laura thought hard about what Slade had said.

She was an addict, which was true. She hadn't touched any alchohol or drugs during her pregnancy but she'd wanted to. That didn't make her sober.

She was jobless, which was also true. She had been fired from working in the strip club after they found out that she was pregnant, and the bar had fired her for being rude to customers.

_I can't provide for her ..._ Laura thought miserably. _I should've let him take her, I should've ..._

Laura began hyperventilating.

"I can't ... I can't ..." she wheezed. _What have I done?_

"Argh!" Laura yelped. She'd suddenly felt a sharp pain in her hips. They were spreading apart again. Another contraction?

"Nurse! Nurse!" she cried.

"What is it, sweetie?" the nurse asked, rushing over.

"My- ARGH!" Laura screeched. _What's happening to me?_

Urgently, the nurse put her hand on Laura's stomach and felt around it for a bit.

"Oh my God ..." she said.

"What? WHAT?" Laura demanded.

"There's another baby," the nurse explained calmly. "Didn't you know?"

"NO!" Laura cried. "How could the sonogram have missed that?"

"I don't know," the nurse said. "This rarely happens ... Doctors! We have another baby! Get out the morphine and oxygen!"

Laura groaned. Another baby? As if Grace's birth hadn't been difficult enough!

"I'm giving it up," Laura told the nurse. "Give this baby up for adoption, make sure it goes to a good home."

"But, the other one-" the nurse began.

"-Is mine." Laura said firmly. "I fought hard for custody of her and I'm keeping her. Give this one up."

"As you wish," the nurse said, and Laura closed her eyes, preparing for another few hours of hell.

"If it's a girl, call her Alice," Laura said, before she started screaming and pushing all over again.

* * *

"Did you have fun at school today Grace?" An attractive dark haired woman asked, sarcasm in her voice.

In walked a girl with white blonde hair cut short around her chin with white blonde bangs cut right above her eyes, which were a piercing electric green.

"Same as always, Mother," the girl, Grace, spat out the word 'mother' like a curse, which, to her mother, it was.

"Alright, alright, dinner's on the table."

Grace poked her head around the corner of the wall leading to the small dining room.

"But there's nothing there."

"Exactly. Do you think money grows on trees? I had to get my hair colored today and thats not cheap, little one."

Grace looked at her 'mother' again. Yes, she did have her hair colored, black, and she was wearing a short red dress that barely covered her.

"Going out tonight?" Grace asked.

"Yes, Patrica called in sick so I have to take her shift."

"Lucky you." was Grace's sarcastic remark to her mother's 'work'. If you can call prostitution that ...

"You'll be okay here on your own, right?" Laura asked.

Grace scowled at her. She knew that it wouldn't matter which answer she gave her becuase she was going to leave her by herself anyway.

"Yeah, whatever ..." Grace muttered. "When will you be back?"

"Tomorrow, 'round noon I guess ..." Grace's mother said distactedly, looking in the mirror and pulling the neck of her red dress down further so that it exposed more bust.

Grace looked disgusted.

"Why do you go out dressed like that?" she said. "Amy Dallis's big sister, Courtney went out dressed like that, and her mom said she came home pregnant."

"I'm prepared for that, sweetie," Laura smirked, pulling up the end of her dress to expose more butt.

"You wouldn't be doing this if I had a dad ..." Grace muttered.

"What?" Laura said, not hearing.

"I said: You wouldn't be doing this if I had a dad!" Grace shouted.

Laura laughed. "Your dad wouldn't give a rat's ass about what I do. He'd be too busy killing and stealing."

"No he wouldn't!" Grace snarled. "My daddy is an honorable man!"

"Honorable?" Laura snorted. "Who told you that? You don't know anything about your daddy! You don't even know his name!"

"I would if you'd tell me!" Grace yelled.

Laura looked at her daughter seriously. "Sweetie, your daddy is an awful, awful man. He kills, he steals, he doesn't care. I heard he's paid some guy who's experimenting on this girl to create the perfect human for him ..." (A/N: That's a reference to AngelicBrat123's OC, Boom Baby, btw ^^;)

"Liar!" Grace screamed. "You're lying to me!"

"I'm not, Grace, I really wish I was, but I'm not." Laura sighed. "Your daddy is a person that superheroes fight to put away every day. Your daddy has robbed so many families of a sister, a brother, a daughter or a son, a mother or a father ..."

"LIES!" Grace yelled covering, her ears.

"Your daddy didn't want you, he called you an accident ..."

"STOP!"

"Your daddy ..." Laura began her voice dangerously low. "... is Slade."

"NO!" Grace screamed, shaking her head wildly. "He's not, he's not, HE'S NOT!"

"He is ..." Laura said. "You're a mad man's daughter. You'll be like him. Of course you will ..."

"ARGH!" Grace yelled.

Then she ran for the door and sprinted outside.

"I HATE YOU, I HATE YOU!" she screamed though tears as she ran. "WHY DID YOU HAVE TO FALL IN LOVE WITH A MONSTER?"

* * *

A mother took her daughter by the hand and pulled her away from a grubby little beggar who was looking at them with pleading in her electric green eyes.

"Honestly," she sneered at the beggar. "Did your parents send you out here?"

"I don't have any parents," the beggar said flatly.

"Oh," the mother softened. "Here," she said, handing her a five dollar bill. "Take care of yourself, honey." she looked at her daughter. "Come along, Isabella."

"But, Mommy!" the six-year-old girl gasped. "Shouldn't we take her with us and give her a home?"

"Of course not!" her mother was horrified. "We're best not to get involved with people like her, sweetie."

"But-"

"LET'S GO!"

The mother and her daughter walked off hastily, the beggar rolling her eyes as they did.

" 'People like her,' " she mimicked. "Whatever ..." she looked at the five dollar bill and smiled. "This'll get me some fries from McDonalds," she said, scratching her greasy hair.

Grace Wilson had been on the run for little over a year now. She was filthy and had lost a lot of weight, so her bones jutted out of their sockets and she looked like a skeleton. All she could do was beg for money, food or clothes. Usually, all she got was an angry glare or an indignant sniff.

She walked into McDonalds, bringing her five dollar bill and her awful odour with her. Parents glared at her and said rude things, while children stared and pointed or laughed.

Grace didn't care. She was just too hungry to take notice.

"Just fries for me, please," she said to the clerk.

"You again?" the lady glared at her, distaste in her high pitched voice. "Fine. Whatever."

She snatched the five dollar bill off her and barked her order at the chefs before turning around to glare at her again.

"Don't hang around here," she snarled. "You're making our customers uneasy."

"Don't worry, I won't," Grace said. "Who'd want to eat in a dump like this anyways?"

The lady gave her a withering glance before handing her her fries.

"Get out of here," she barked, but Grace smiled sweetly at her and replied, "Sure, I wasn't going to stay anways, was I?"

Grace walked out of McDonalds with her fries in her hand, a cheeky smile on her pretty, boney face.

She walked up to the music store and sat down against the wall, before taking one of her fries and throwing it in her mouth.

It was a little too salty for her tastes, but Grace shrugged off the saltiness and continued to eat, savouring the taste of every fry in her mouth.

"Hey! You there!"

Grace froze.

There was this really mean policeman who patrolled the street, and had told her numerous times to quit hanging around or he'd take her away.

"You're not meant to be here!"

"Cripes!" Grace skrieked, getting to her feet and sprinting down the street, forgetting about her fries.

"Come back!" the policeman yelled, running after her. But it was no use. Grace was thin and very fit, whilst he was obese and didn't excercise very much. There was no way he'd catch her!

Grace continued to run, even though she was well off the street by this time.

She ran and ran and ran, even after her legs began to grow tired, and the rain began to pour down on top of her.

Eventually, she had to stop. a) Because she was exhausted. b) Because she was drenched and not in the mood for running. And c) Because some wierd instinct had told her to stop.

Stop at a big, majestic house.

Grace sat down and hugged her knees, trying to catch her breath. She was so hungry ... maybe she shouldn't have dropped those fries ...

Suddenly, the door opened.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Grace yelled, scrurrying away from the opening door. It was a reflex, after being yelled at so many times, she'd learnt to apologize immediately.

Before her stood a tall, muscualr man, with white hair and pale skin, as well as a black eye patch over his right eye. His left eye was a startling blue colour.

He seemed very familiar to her ...

"Oh my God," he gasped, looking at her with surprise in his left eye. "You're-"

"A street urchin? A beggar? A hobo?" Grace asked. "Yeah, I get that a lot."

"No ..." the man said, his chilling voice surprised. "I was about to say: You're Grace, Laura's daughter."

"How do you know who I am?" Grace said, alarmed.

"I know because I was there when you were born," the man smiled.

"Who are you?" Grace whispered. "How do you know me?"

"Grace," the man began. "My name is Slade Wilson, And I'm your father."

* * *

"Again," a white haired man barked at a skinny, blonde haired girl. "Do it again."

The girl stared angrily at him and spat blood, glaring at him with her electric green eyes.

"I can't," she said simply, rubbing her sore arms.

"Can't or won't?" the man pressed, taking a step closer to her.

"I'm too tired," Grace breathed, dropping her bo-stick and placing her hands on her knee-caps to catch her breath. "Don't make me train anymore, Slade."

Slade. Yep, that's what she called him. Maybe because 'daddy' was too wierd for her, or because he'd told her to call him that.

"When you're in a fight, your opponent won't care how tired you are, they will strike and finish," Slade said calmly.

Grace hadn't noticed he'd taken the bo-stick from the ground and into his hands.

"HHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" he yelled, running at her as he raised high above his head.

Grace grunted, doing a back-hand spring for evasiveness as he brought the bo-stick down on the ground, its intended target - her head.

She landed smoothly, one hand on the ground while her other arm was spread out, with one leg coiled and the other one resting.

"HHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" she copied her father's grunt, getting up and jumping higher than humanly possible. She landed on his chest and pushed him down, doing a back flip as she gained speed from the push.

She slid back as she landed, in the same position as before, and she got up and ran for her father. She grabbed the bo-stick from his hands and made her way to his back, sticking that stick in and pushing his to the ground.

Grace stood back, panting, as she admired her handiwork.

"When you're in a fight, your opponent won't care how tired you are, they will strike and finish," she said, quoting Slade. "Or, youout smart them and finish _them_ off instead."

"Very good," Slade smirked, rising from the ground and dusting himself off. "I've taught you well."

"You have," Grace agreed emotionlessly. "You really have."

"Take a rest," Slade said. "You've earned it."

Grace nodded thankfully, before stalking off up to her room.

She got out her towels, shampoo, soap and spare clothes, and she made her way to the bathroom to take a shower.

She stayed in there for over forty-five minutes, allowing the water to clean her and loosen her sore, tight muscles.

Grace towel dried her hair as she headed downstairs, and said, "Hey, what's for dinner?"

"Beats me," a voice said. "Hope it's pizza though, I looove me some pizza."

"Who are you?" Grace snarled, eyeing the pale, black haired, sea green eyed boy who was sitting at he kitchen table with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Jason Todd-Xavier," he shrugged, looking her up and down with a smirk on his handsome face. "And who might you be?"

"Grace," Grace replied. "I'm Grace Wilson."

"I've heard a lot about you," Jason said.

"Can't say I can return the favour."

"Oh, you will, soon."

"Huh." Grace muttered. "I'm sure I will."

"Grace," Slade said, entering the room. "I see you've met Jason."

"Yeah," Grace muttered. "Eh, Slade? What's he doing here?"

"Jason has asked me to train him, and I have accepted," Slade explained. "He'll be living with us for as long as he wishes."

"Sorry, Jason, there aren't any stars around here," Grace said to Jason, who laughed.

"I'm looking at one, Princess," he smiled.

"You are so gross," Grace said, disgusted. "I'm twelve and a half, and that was totally cheesy."

"Still true though, Princess."

"Don't call me that."

"Okay, Princess."

"GAH!"

Jason laughed. "We are really going to like each other."

Grace rolled her eyes and glared at him. "I will hate you until the day I die."

How wrong could a person be?

* * *

Jason looked at Grace, their eyes locking.

Jason could confusion and curiousity in Grace's, Grace could see sadness and want in Jason's.

"What's wrong?" she asked him.

"I'm leaving, Grace," Jason sighed, looking away.

"Leaving?" Grace gasped. "But ... But why?"

"I've been here two years, Princess," Jason said, calling her by the fond nickname she used to hate. "It's time I go my own way."

"I don't understand," Grace said. "Is it because of me?"

"No," Jason grinned. "If anything, you'd be my reason for staying."

"So stay," Grace said, taking his hand in hers.

"I can't."

"Why?"

"I'm sixteen now, Grace," Jason sighed. "I want to get out of here, go see the world ..."

"But why?" Grace asked. "Aren't you happy here?"

"Totally happy," Jason answered. "It's been like a home to me."

Grace smiled.

"But ... Everybody's got to leave home sometime, Princess."

"Not at sixteen they don't," Grace argued.

"I feel I need to go," Jason reasoned.

"So why won't you wait for me?" Grace asked sadly. "My feelings for you have changed since I first saw you, Jason Todd-Xavier."

"I know," Jason replied. "But-"

"But what?" Grace asked. "Is it because you're two years older than me? Do you think I'm just a kid or something?"

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no!" Jason said quickly. "You're not a kid, Grace. Far from it. It's just that ..." he sighed. "I feel like a caged animal here. I need to be free, be my own person ..." he looked at her meaingfully. "Do you understand that, Grace?"

"I do ..." Grace said sadly. "I just ... I just don't want you to leave me here alone, okay?"

Jason's jaw clenched and unclenched. "I-" he began to say, but he didn't know how to say it.

"Just another year," Grace pleaded. "Another year and I'm out. Can't you wait for me until then? If you go, I might never see you again ..." she looked away. "Jason, I don't want us to lose each other."

"We won't," Jason assured her, taking her hand. "But I can't wait. That's not how I am, Princess."

"I know," Grace sighed.

"So, will you let me?" Jason asked. "Go, I mean."

"I really like you, Jason," Grace sighed. "And I want you to be happy, so ... go. It's cool with me."

"Oh, Grace! You're the best!" Jason exclaimed, running over to Grace and uncharacteristically throwing his arms around her.

"Oh ..." Grace blushed, smiling moronically at him.

Then he kissed her.

It was sweet, but fast and intense, and although it was only for a few seconds, Grace could've sworn she'd heard fireworks.

"I love you, Princess," Jason whispered in her ear as he held her close. "And I'll never forget you. Never ever, ever!"

"I ... I ...," Grace just smiled.

"Never." Jason said. "Remember that."

" 'Never'," Grace murmured. "I will."

He hesitated for a moment, but then he grinned. Fishing through his pocket, he managed to grab an old felt tip marker pen. He grabbed her wrist and she let him pull it up to the pen. On the front of her hand he wrote six words that sent her heart singing: _"Jase 4 Grace, always and 4ever."_

Jason kissed her one last time before grabbing his bag and heading the window.

"Later, Princess," was all he said as he dropped out and left her.

* * *

Jason Todd-Xavier couldn't believe what he'd done.

_How could I have left Grace?_ he wondered. _She was my whole world, even if there was a bit of an age difference between us, she was beautiful and funny and sarcastic, and I shouldn't have left her._

He sighed. Everything he'd told her when he was leaving was true; that he felt like a caged animal, that he needed to see the world and be free ... but there was one thing he'd kept to himself ...

He had learned all he needed to know to be a criminal again.

At first, Jason was a street urchin, robbing restauraunts and begging for money to keep himself alive. He began hitch-hiking and eventually ended up in Diamond City, where he heard rumours that this big, bad supervillain was offering to train anybody who wanted to be trained.

That's where he met Grace.

Leaving her was probably the hardest thing he'd ever done, even harder than living on the streets for two years. He hadn't really shared much about his past with her, but he'd told her that he had lived on the streets for a while, and Grace admitted that she had been in that situation too.

They bonded, and he fell in love with her.

After he left, Jason went back to Gotham to resume his life as a street urchin.

He probably would've been better off staying with Slade and Grace, but he knew that if he got too attatched to her he'd never want leave, and that wasn't how he was.

Jason returned to his life as a street orphan, but when he tried to steal the tires off of the Batmobile, he had his first encounter with the Dark Knight. Soon afterwards, Bruce Wayne saw to it that he was put into a home for juvenile deliquents, but after helping Batman take down something that his classmates had been plotting, he became the second Robin.

Jason didn't wear the Robin costume at first, and had to go through six months of extra training before Batman would allow him on the job, but Batman realised although Jason lacked in Dick's acrobatic skills, he was a very capable fighter. But secretly, he believed if he didn't help Jason, he could end up as a member of "the criminal element".

On his first outing as Robin, Jason encountered Two-Face, a villain Batman hadn't told him about. Curious, Jason studied him and eventually figured out that Two-Face was actually the man who killed his father, Willis Todd.

The revelation fueled Jason's inner rage, and he even tried to strangle the villain. But once Batman discovered the source of Jason's anger, they teamed up and managed to take the villain down together.

Despite their easy partnership, Jason acted reckless, rebellious and careless, always attacking criminals when just asked by Batman to cover surveillance, thus ruining months of planning. Also, when asked to "hold off" some villains, Jason took to firing at them with a gun, much to the Batman's distaste, due to his hostility towards guns.

Jason also found himself being constantly compared to the first Robin, much to his annoyance and anger.

Jason's rage was most heightened when the Dynamic Duo were investigating a case in which the son of a diplomat had been accused of raping a woman. Because of his father's status, the son got of scott-free. Later, when they found the same woman brutally murdured, Jason went straight for the son, and by the time Batman caught up with him, he saw the son plummeting off of the top of a skyscraper, with Jason standing there watching. Batman thought that Jason had killed him, but Jason denied it, and Batman didn't believe him.

Later, the diplomat came back and accused the Duo of the death of his son. They fought in the junkyard, but the fight led to the death of the diplomat and Batman lectured Jason that his actions would always have consequences.

As his violent behaviour and aggressiveness got worse, Batman suspended him from duty. Angry, Jason stormed out on Bruce and returned to his old neighbourhood, where an old neighbour gave him a box of his mothers belongings. There, Jason discovered that Catherine Ann Todd-Xavier wasn't his real mother.

Determined to find his birth mom, Jason used his father's old address and logged it into the Bat Computer, where he found three possible leads as to who his birth mother could be. He eventually found his mother, Sheila, who was working as an aid worker in Ethiopia. While Jason was overjoyed to be reunited with his real mother, he soon discovered that she was being blackmailed by the Joker. Sheila herself had been embezzling from the aid agency and as part of the cover-up she handed her own son, who arrived as Robin, over to the Joker. The Joker beat Jason brutally with a crowbar, and then left him and Sheila in the warehouse with a time bomb. Sheila and Jason tried desperately to get out of the warehouse but were still inside as the bomb went off. Batman arrived too late to save them and was only able to hold Jason's lifeless body in his arms. The bodies were taken back to Gotham City for burial.

At the funeral, Dick Grayson - the first Robin - showed up, and Batman admitted to him, "No matter what differences we've had over the years, I've always known that you had a gift. Jason had only ... rage."

You're probably thinking right now, "Wait, but if Jason died, how could he be alive now?" Well, the answer is this: Superboy-Prime went back through time and altered reality, thus restoring Jason to life while he was in his coffin. Jason broke out of his coffin before the funeral started and escaped, but later he collapsed and had to be hospitalised.

Talia al Ghul recognised him in hospital and helped her father, Ra's al Ghul, restore him to life. With his health back and his memories fully intact, Jason left them both without a thank you.

But, it wasn't his partnership with Batman that was on his mind, it was his first apprentice, Robin.

Jason somehow convinced himself that the two were in a rivalry and that Robin was there the whole time he was with Batman.

So he managed to track Dick down in Jump City, watching him from a distance, seeing him make the confession that he was in fact Red X, and that the suit was just a big hoax.

Jason wanted that suit so badly.

So he stole it. And it was pretty easy, I mean, the security systems of Titans' Tower were exactly the same as the one back in the Batcave, it even had the same password!

So, one night, while the Titans were all out on a mission, Jason keyed in the password, slipped in and stole the suit. The suit with every Titan's weakness in knowledge.

He became a villain, an anti-hero really, not really taking his robberies or enemies seriously, just, as he informed Robin, "Not everybody likes to play the big villain, kid. I'm a thief. I'm not threatening your precious city, I'm just looking out for number one."

This all happened in the space of three years.

But he never did forget Grace Wilson.

* * *

"I'm leaving," a now sixteen-year-old Grace said as she came down the stairs in the morning.

She was wearing a turtle neck black shirt that showed off her toned stomach, a silver buckle belt with an assortment of pockets on it (it held daggers and throwing knives), a pair of leather black trousers that went down to her thighs, a pair of black fingerless gloves and on her feet she wore a pair of Doc Marten boots.

"New outfit?" her father asked, raising an eyebrow curiously at her as he ignored her statement. When Slade was with Grace, he acted like a normal dad, a funny one, almost, instead of the chilling archvillain so many supers knew him as.

"I'm leaving," Grace repeated putting her hands on her hips.

Silence.

"Care to comment?" she asked sarcastically.

Slade looked up at her lazily. "Not really. But I guess you could say I'm not surprised you're leaving, and that you want to ask me something."

"Yeah ..." Grace muttered. "It's about your other kids."

"What about them?" Slade asked.

"Well, you've only ever mentioned them a few times, and, you know, since I'm on my own now, I might want to meet up with them and all ..." she sighed. "Slade, this is all I'm asking of you before I go. Can you please just answer my question?"

Slade sighed. "Fine," he said. "You have two brothers and a sister. Your brother Grant is the oldest ..." he hesitated. "But he's in the military. Then there's your sister, Rose, but she's living with her mother ... and then there's Joseph. His throat was cut when he was a youngster, so he can't talk anymore. He's a mute." Slade hesitated again. "Then there's the other boy ..." His eyes widened and he clamped his mouth shut.

"What other boy?" Grace demanded. "Who else, Slade?"

"No one," Slade growled, shutting down. "There's nobody else. He was just my step-son."

"Can I ask what his name is?" Grace said.

"It's Alex," Slade said. "Okay? It's Alex." (A/N: That's a reference to The Mighty One's OC, Falcon)

"Thanks, Slade," Grace smiled gratefully at him, before walking over. "I know you don't really care, but thanks for taking care of me all those years when I wouldn't let my mom," she bent down and kissed his cheek before getting up, grabbing her bag and heading for the door.

"See ya, Dad," Grace whispered as she walked away.

That was the first time she's ever called him that.

* * *

Grace Wilson, now in full throttle Mercenary mode, was riding her motorcycle over the seemingly endless road to Diamond City, the place she used to call her home.

Since she left, her father had set up base in some other city, and Grant had been killed. Rose was missing, and she's only just met Joseph (now calling himself Jericho) a few days ago.

What a weekend, Grace thought sarcastically as the motorcycle sped along.

Diamond City was a more polished version of Jump with its tall buildings and litter-free streets. The sun was now setting over the waters of Diamond City Beach and the skies were slowly turning a warm orange colour. The light of the setting sun bounced off the many windows of the skyscrapers, causing them to glitter, giving it its well-deserved name of Diamond city.

The tallest of the buildings was Diamond City Memorial Museum of Hitsorical Events. Each floor was dedicated to a milestone in world history, which was the reason it was so big.

Grace chewed on her lip as she slowed her bike in front of the skyscraper.

_He's up there,_ she thought. _But how am I meant to get to him?_

Grace sighed. This was going to be tough. Removing her helmet and walking to the side of the building, Grace inspected it closely. There was no way she could climb (the building must have been over fifty feet tall) and it was NOT stylish for a superhero to arrive via elevator. Unless ...

Grace grinned. Just beside the skyscraper was a tall apartment building, which at least thirty feet tall. At its sides, it had windows and bricks, as well as a clothing line, and ... and ... a fire escape!

"Yes," Grace hissed. "This is my ticket up!"

Rubbing her hands together, Grace jumped for the ladder of the fire escape and hoisted herself up. She walked around the boxes until she got to the top. Once there, she climbed onto the box railing (keeping perfect balance) and jumped straight off.

She landed on the clothes line (thank gawd) and began to walk across with ease. When she got to the end, she took two knives out of her belt and stuck one into the wall. Then the other. And slowly she began to scale the building.

After about twenty minutes, Grace stopped climbing to wipe some sweat off of her brow. It was only then that she realised ...

SHE'D BEEN CLIMBING THE WRONG BUILDING!

"Frig!" Grace yelled. "Frig this friggin' building." she stopped and looked down. "Eh," she muttered. "It isn't that big of a gap, I'll jump it."

She curled her legs up against the wall and loosened her knife from the bricks slightly. When she felt she was ready, she pushed herself off of the wall at an alarming speed, doing a skillful looking array of flips before she landed on the roof of the other building. Call her an extremist, but she actually did things like these on a regular bases.

"And she sticks the landing!" Grace whooped, pumping her fists in the air. Grace rubbed the back of her neck and shook her head, suddenly embarrassed. "Damn it," she said. "I have GOT to stop talking to myself."

She dusted herself off and began walking on the long, flat top of the building. Then she saw him.

Wearing a black cape and body suit with a silver belt with an 'x' on it, along with a black skull mask that had an 'x' shaped scar over one eye, as well as on the forehead.

Red X, Grace thought to herself and smiled. This should be pretty easy.

"Hey, you!" Grace called to him.

The figure's head snapped up.

"Yeah, you!" Grace grinned. "Are you Red X?"

The figure stood up, and you could practically hear his eyes rolling. _"Naw,"_ he said sarcastically, pointing to all the red x's on his costume.

Grace rubbed the back of her neck, embarrassed. "Sorry," she said. "Just making sure."

"Uh-huh," Red X muttered in his metallic voice, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Anyways," Grace smiled. "My name is Mercenary. I'm with a team called the Teen Titans and-"

"You're a Titan?" Red X's masked eyes seemed to widen and he immediately stepped into a fighting stance. "Shitbucket!"

Suddenly, Red X was charging at her, four x-shaped shurikens stuck between his fingers before he hurled them her way. Grace gasped, throwing herself into a backwards crab and launching into a serious of complicated-looking back hand springs and flips, dodging them successfully. They quickly exploded in the distance, as their timers went off; but Grace paid little heed to this... her focus was on knocking some sense into the metal head.

Once she had stopped flipping, Grace screamed a fierce battle-cry, running towards her opponent at top speeds before launching her leg up at him to deliver a devestating kick. Red X cried out in pain, his jaw flying back with the inpact of Grace's biker boot under his chin. He was about to fall on his shoulders, but he stuck his hands out under him quickly to stall his downward tumble, launching into a back-hand spring instead.

Grace was on the attack again, set on delivering another kick, but Red X caught her foot as it went up and gave it a sharp twist, causing Grace's body to spin wildly in the air for a few seconds, before landing in a heap on the ground. Quickly, Red X pulled out a bo-stick and raised it above his head, ready to bring it down on Grace when she pushed her full weight back onto her hands for a minute before launching herself onto his chest. The bo-staff flew out of the criminal's hands, plumetting to the many stories below, Red X was now defensless once again, but he still had his wits about him, and was very cleaver in laying traps.

Everything in Red X's mind was racing with countless variables; countering moves he learned years ago. He ducked and parried off each strike made, but the latest force, of her entire body, slamming into his chest caught him off guard completley. The master thief hadn't expected to be finding himself upon his back. Their shadows mirrored the movements of their bodies, two competitors, in a fierce struggle, everything was going by at the pace of a crawl for the Xenothium Assassin; untill she spoke again ...

"What is your deal? I'm a Teen Titan dammit, why are you attacking me?"

Red X couldn't remove his gaze off of her from behind his mask, her voice... it sounded so strangely familiar, so powerful and yet... he couldn't place an image of the young woman that it belonged to. Someone of his past long ago,and old flame of passion, who he regretted everyday for leaving behind. While she lingered for his answer, the master theif pulled out his X-Shaped Blades, the red tint shining brightly as the newest trick, caught Grace by an unsuspecting surprise; that she hadn't thought for a second. She believed to have won, only Red X never gave in that easily; he was going to fight and like all his battles, he kept telling himself that he was going to win. Winning, that was his only option. Little did he know, that she too had this same drive to succeed, to never give in, at all costs; to fight to the bitter end.

Quickly rolling to the side, she allowed her deadly foe, to stand on his feet once more. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Don't make me do this ..." Red X replied, as he pulled his deadly and trusting weapons over his chest.

Keeping her gaze fixed onto her evasive adversary; Mercenary unsheathed her two ninja long-blades from their shieths across her back. They were crafted tools she obtained in training from her old teacher, one whom she had hated for years. While the pause in their confrentation held over, Mercenary standing as she did, the long blades in her hands; her stance; it all felt somehow, that he knew her. But Red X ignored this very thought once more.

"Don't doubt me. .." Mercenery retorted, with great vigor in her usually soft spoken voice.

It was then, that everything began to slowly come whirling back, as the cool breeze passed over the city. Mercenary could also feel that she somehow, knew him, the way he stood; how he started their conversation with a pinch of comedy; his fighting moves she parried off, as though he had trained with her before.

"Grace ..." Red X couldn't believe he was saying this name. A person he loved, only to lose for ambition, and for selfishiness. Ultimately, he could feel that the intruder standing before him now; was in fact, the very girl he had been trying so desperatly to reform that bond of deep love with. Someday hopeing to see her, but was this really her before him now?

Mercenery stood speachless, _Did he just call my real name?_ She thought. _Nobody knows of that except my brother, father, Robin and; no... it, it can't be him._

Ignoring her thoughts, Grace launched herself at him again, and the two foes were soon locked into very tight hand-to-hand combat, the golden sun setting on the beach as they did, casting the two long, ever-moving shadows of their bodies underneath them. Grace soon had him cornered, and was intent on making the killer blow.

Desperate, Red X reached for his belt and pulled out something that looked strangley like a rock, only it had an 'x' on it.

Grace lowered her dagger in confusion. "What the-" she began.

_POOF!_

The air was covered by a thick navy smoke as Red X dropped his stone on the ground. Before Grace knew it, she was on the ground again, as Red X had somehow disappeared.

Grace stood up, surveying the area for her opponent. But the navy smoke was clouding her vision, and she couldn't see. She readied herself in a fighting stance, and waited impatiently for the Xenothium Assasin to come at her, but then ...

"Oof!" Grace grunted as she felt a sharp hit at her back and collapsed. She rolled onto her back and stood up again, pulling a long blade from her boot and readying herself for another blow.

"Come out!" she yelled. "Show yourself, you coward!"

Suddenly, the smoke cleared and Red X was standing right in front of her. He looked pretty peeved.

"Listen, you," he said, spinning to kick her in the face. Grace caught the kick and blocked it.

"I may be a lot of things," Red X continued, trying to punch her. Grace blocked it again.

"But a coward-" another punch. Grace began to realise they were moving dangerously close to the edge of the building.

"Isn't one of them!" Red X finished with a devestating kick, but this time Grace couldn't block it, and she went stumbling back as she lost her balance, intent on falling _over the edge of the building!_

_"NO!" _Red X suddenly screamed. "I'm not going to let it happen again!"

**-FLASHBACK-**

_Clark Gerald Stevens was sitting in his kitchen, staring at his recently bloody hands. He'd killed her. After she pressed charges he'd gone to her house and killed her. She deserved it. You mess with Clark Stevens, you have to pay. She had, with her life._

THUMP!

_What's that? Clark thought. He swirled around. Suddenly the apartment became eerily quiet. It was almost scary._

_"I-is anyone there?" he called._

THUMP!

_"Show yourself!"_

_Clark made his way over to the window to grab a lamp for protection. But then-_

_"You killed her, you dirty bastard."_

THUMP!

_The final thump was eerily close. Slowly, Clark turned, only to get the fright of his life by what he saw!_

_The teenager was wearing an altered version of the Robin costume, with a green white-eyed mask and a pair of red tights under his green underwear, a yellow belt with a red skintight shirt, with green gloves and a green and cape, as well as a pair of green boots on his feet._

_"R-R-R-Robin!" Clark gasped._

_"YOU KILLED HER!" Robin screamed. "NOW I'M GOING TO MAKE YOU PAY!"_

_Suddenly, Robin flung his legs around Clark and was pulling him out from the window. Clark saw that they were being hoisted up by a grappling hook, and realised that Robin was going to drop him to his death._

_When the grappler had got them to the top of the building, Robin threw Clark onto the roof before standing onto it himself. Then he punched him._

_"Lousy," he said. He punched him again, but this time, Clark blocked it. "Low-life" - another punch, but a block too. - "Stupid" - PUNCH! ... and a block. - "Rotten" - Punched again, but also blocked. Then, Robin finished his tyrade off with a killer sentence, as well as an unmeaningly killer action._

_"Murderer."_

_Clark decided against blocking Robin's final blow and ran off instead. Robin's masked eyes widened, and he took a step forward, his hand reaching out slightly. Clark took a look back, still running. But then, then ..._

_He fell. Straight off of the building, screaming wildly and madly before he hit the ground with a sickening _"sqealch!". _But he wasn't going down without action. Just a minute after he fell, he looked up at Robin, somehow managing to lock eyes with him from so low down. Then he shouted, "You killed me. You son of a bitch, you killed me!"_

_"I'm sorry," Robin whispered, suddenly feeling empty inside._

SQEALCH!

_A tear slid down Robin's cheek._

_"JASON!" Batman bellowed suddenly coming up behind the new Boy Wonder. _

_"Jason," the Dark Knight said again, a chill in his monotone voice. "What have you done?"_

_"I killed him," Robin or Jason answered coldly, not a note of emotion in his now deadpan voice. "I didn't mean to, but I killed him, Bats."_

**-END OF FLASHBACK-**

"NO!" Red X yelled. He dived for Grace reaching his hand out to grab the falling girl. "GRACE! NO!"

Grace's eyes widened, but she didn't say anything.

"GAH!" he grunted as he pulled her back up, only to be greeted by her throwing her arms around him.

"You saved my life!" she said, stilling hugging him. "And you know my name!"

Red X gasped, taking in the girl's face. It was tanned and interesting, not just beautiful, with high cheekbones and a lopsided smile. Her eyes were wide and an electric green colour, her hair was white blonde with side bangs. It went just below her shoulders.

"Grace!" he said again, not quite to her, but to himself. "Grace. Grace Wilson. Amazing, beautiful Grace. Never, ever, ever!"

Grace looked at him suddenly. "Red X?" she asked him. "Dude, are you alright?"

Then his lips were on hers.

At first, Grace didn't exactly reject the kiss, she went with it. He was a very good kisser. But then she remembered she hadn't a clue who this guy was, and she pushed him away and smacked him.

"What the hell?" she demanded.

Red X looked at her for a moment, his now visible mouth curling into a coy smile. He pulled off his mask.

And Grace found herself falling, just as hard as she had years ago when he first looked at her with those gorgeous sea green eyes. Falling, falling hard, falling in love. Again.

"JASON!" Grace exclaimed. "JASON TODD-XAVIER? OH MY GOD!"

Jason smiled at her. "Hey, Princess," he said coyly. "Long time, no see."

Jason was a very handsome boy. He had pale skin and thick, black hair that was all spiked up at the front, despite being flattened by his mask a few minutes ago. His eyes were an entrancing see green that seemed to bore into you, and his mouth seemed to be premanently curled into a coy smile.

"Jason!" Grace said again. "Jason! You're Jason Todd-Xavier!"

"The one and only," Jason grinned. "Grace Wilson ... Well, isn't it a small world?"

"It is!" Grace couldn't contain her joy. She wasn't the emotional type, period. But how would you feel if your long lost old flame suddenly saved your life, kissed you, and was now having a reunion with you?

"What have you been doing over the passed few years?" Jason enquired, still smiling at her.

"Oh, you know," Grace shrugged. "Training. You?"

Jason was evasive. "So ..." he said, dodging her question. "You were saying something before I -uh - attacked you." He sweatdropped.

"Oh, Jason, it's awful!" Grace gasped. "I just met up with the Titans a few days ago and already I'm on a mission! There's this evil thing! We don't know what it is, but it's going to kill everybody! But not if we stop it! And we need a whole lotta help and more superheroes!" she blushed. She suddenly realised she'd been babbling.

"And, this concerns me because ...?" Jason's statement trailed off into a question.

"Jase," Grace began. "All of the other Titans have gone out to recruit the heroes. Cyborg recruited this girl named Hack, Starfire recruited a girl called Ice Moon, Beast Boy recruited this girl named Tracie, Raven recruited a boy named Asher ..." she paused. "Jason - Red X - you're my recruit."

"You need me to help you?" Jason looked doubtful. "To team up with the Titans?"

"Yeah," Grace smiled. "So, will ya do it, Jason? Will you come back with me?"

Jason stared at her. "Grace ..." he began. He sighed. "I can't."

"Why not?" Grace demanded, anger rising within her. "And don't give me that 'caged animal' crap you fed me three years ago. You've had all the freedom you need, and now that I've found you I'm not going to lose you again!"

"You're right, Princess," Jason grinned. "But it's not the 'caged animal' thing again. It's just that ... Robin and I ... we don't get along. Period. We hate each other's guts, and although we have come - grudgingly - respect each other over the year, we still ..." he shrugged. "Don't gel."

"So?" Grace snapped. "Don't mind the stupid Boy Blunder! It's me who you need to focus on. Ignore him! Ignore them! It's just us ..." she took his hands in both of hers.

"I know you dated him, Grace."

"WHAT? HOW?"

"I saw the two of you. In Gotham. After I-" he was about to say 'broke out of my coffin,' but he decided it was better to avoid long stories for now. "I saw you both in Gotham," he continued. "Under a billboard. I didn't recognise you at the time because you'd grown up so much ..." he smiled. Grace was no longer the skinny girl he once knew. She was wearing her bangs to the side now, instead of fully over her forehead, and she's really ... filled out. Jason nearly forgot what he was saying as he admired Mother Nature's work. "And, I saw the way you looked at him. You really loved him, and he looked like he loved you too."

"We're not together anymore though!" Grace protested.

"But you still care about him," Jason reasoned. "Like a brother, if not a lover."

"Yeah, but-"

"It would hurt you to see us fighting."

"No it would-"

"It would. Don't try to deny it. It would really hurt you. And I don't wanna see you get hurt, Princess."

"Jason, I-"

Then he was kissing her again. "Shh," he whispered. "Grace Wilson, I love you. I've found you again, and I don't want to see you hurt. Come with me. We'll leave them behind and be together for as long as we can."

"We have no future if the world is ending," Grace said sadly, stroking his cheek.

"I'll take whatever time I can get with you, babe," Jason smiled tenderly.

"You know more than anything that I want to go with you-"

"So go!"

"But I can't."

"WHY?" It was Jason's turn to say it now.

"I promised the Titans I'd help them," Grace explained. "If I abandoned them now, I'd ruin everything I've worked so hard for over the years." she looked to her feet. "I don't want to be a careless runaway like my dad, Jason."

"Like me, you mean," Jason said sadly.

"You know I didn't mean that," Grace said meaningfully.

"Right," Jason murmured. He grinned. "I'm not going to lie, I'm disappointed," Jason sighed.

"So am I," Grace agreed.

"Isn't it so wierd? We've just found each other and already we're breaking up, just because we want to different things."

"We're not breaking up," Grace said, tears in her eyes. "We're just saying goodbye. That's all."

"Yeah, goodbye's a good way to put it."

Silence.

"... I never did get a response to my declaration." Jason smirked.

"Your declaration?"

"Those. Three. Words."

Grace's eyes widened. She'd teased Delphi about Those Three Words just a day before, and now she was going to have to say them.

"Fine," Grace said, walking over to the edge of the building. She cleared her throat. "MY NAME IS GRACE WILSON AND I LOVE JASON TODD-XAVIER!" she screamed to the skies. "Happy?" she asked, turning back to him.

He took her in his arms and kissed her all over again.

"I love you, Grace." he said again.

"I love you too, Jason," she said for the first time.

And the two lovers pulled away, just as the golden sun disappeared from behind the sea.

"Never, Grace! Never, never, never!" Jason shouted to her, repeating the old vow.

"Never, Jason!" Grace shouted back, climbing down the ladder of the building.

"I'll never forget you, but my love is everlasting."

Neither of them said it, but then, neither of them had to.

* * *

"Yes!" Captain Ella Eve Slicer gave out a woot that surprised the soldiers of Area 55 who were working on the master computer.

"What?" she demanded, registering her comrades' faces. "Haven't you ever seen a woman woot before?"

"Yeah," one of the soldiers said. "But ... it's just so unlike you!"

Captain Slicer shrugged. "I'm happy, Major Banks. The mission with the Titans was a huge success."

"Not a complete success," Major Banks pointed out. "Mercenary's mission was unsuccessful."

"But we know his reason for declining," Captain Slicer replied. "And we also know his secret identity now." she grinned. "Major Long, thank God you came up with the idea to listen in on their conversation."

"I wish I hadn't," Major Long said miserably. "It was clear they were sharing a very special moment together. Jason and Grace knew each other as youngsters. They were in love then, and it was a big deal for them now. Very romantic, actually."

"Romance, shmomance," Captain Slicer rolled her eyes. "We've still got twelve, which is excellent! We may have a chance!"

"If you say so," Major Long sighed. She was a pretty Asian woman with long dark hair, and she was a hopeless romantic. "I still feel awful though."

"Don't," Major Banks, her longterm friend and new fiancé said. "We did what we needed to to save the world. Thanks to our listening in, Jason and Grace may have a future together."

"You're right," Major Long perked up, continuing with her work.

"We'll just type out the mission as successful and we're done for the day!" Captain Slicer beamed.

"And Red X's secret identity too," Major Banks added.

"What a great day," Captain Slicer sighed.

Fzzzzzzzzzzzz!

Suddenly, the lights and the computer screens were flickering, and sparks were flying from the computers' keyboards.

"Our research!" Major Banks howled as the lights and computers shorted out. "All of it, GONE!"

"Is everyone okay?" Captain Slicer checked.

"Yes," Major Long replied. "It just so dark- AAAARRRRGGGGHHH!"

"Polly!" Major Banks yelled, feeling around for his friend in the darkness.

"Remain calm!" Captain Slicer barked. "Stary where you are! Gaurds! Switch on the lights!"

"We can't!" a soldier replied. "The whole power system has been cut!"

"Oh," Major Banks groaned. "That's just grea- AAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHH!"

"Major Banks!" Captain Slicer screamed.

"HELP!" "HEY!" came the screams of the remaining soldiers.

Fzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz ...

The lights flickered back on.

Captain Slicer gasped.

The bodies of all of her comrades had been strewn about the room, blood spattered everywhere, with one chilling message:

TURN AROUND

Slowly, Captain Slicer, turned ...

And got the shock of her life as she did so.

Before her stood a petite, but tall (?) girl with long auburn hair. Her face was pale, but tanned (?) and she had high, but not too pointy cheekbones. Her body was curvy and sexy, but at the same time, young and innocent-looking (?) and she was wearing a school uniform, that - again - was a mixture between sexy and innocent. Her lips were full, a deep pink colour from her lipstick, and they were curled into a sweet, but menacing (?) smile. Her eyes were almond shaped, but wide (?) and they were a lovely hazel colour that seemed to be switching from green, to brown, turquoise, aqua, blue, and red.

The amount of contrasting features in the girl's appearance caused Captain Slicer's head to spin.

"Hello," the girl said in a sweet but sexy voice.

"Did you do that?" Captain Slicer ignored her question and gestured towards the dead bodies.

"Yes," the girl answered.

"What are you?" Captain Slicer's eyes widened.

The girl shrugged, her smile not leaving her face. "I'm perfect," she giggled.

She was perfect. Too perfect. It was actually sickening.

"I got that," Captain Slicer said uneasily. "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why did you kill them? They were all innocent people."

"I'm sending the Titans a message," the girl answered seriously. "I know you've been trying to stop me, Ella."

"What's wrong with trying to put a stop to the end of the world?"

"It's not going to end ... For me. Just for you humans." she giggled.

"Why?"

"The world has to be improved."

"Playing God, are we?"

"I AM God."

"No you're not."

"Maybe, but close enough."

Captain Slicer swallowed. "You've come for me?"

"Yes."

"Can I asked something first?" she hadn't noticed the girl had gotten so close to her.

"Yes."

"What's your name?"

The girl laughed. She bent down and removed something from under her skirt. A knife.

"My name ..." she began. She moved a step closer to Ella.

"My name is ..." Another step.

"Mary," the girl took the knife, raised it above her head and stuck it into Captain Ella Eve Slicer's heart.

A twist of the knife.

"Mary-Sue."

* * *

WHOA! THAT WAS SO SCARY! lol, I know it wasn't ^-^ I think this chap is my best work, and I hope you enjoyed it. I think Red X and Mercenary is a cute couple! :D The coupling's names are Rercenary and Grason, and if you agree, say so! Hope ya liked it!

xscifi :)


	10. Assembling the Teams

Hey everybody! The contest is still open, and I'll be dropping hints to everyone about who their OC may be paired with (as well as mine) and so far Shadow John 101 is in the lead! ^-^ Okay, so I'm not going to spend as much time on the A/N as I usually do, but istead I'm going to remind you of all the OCs, as this chap should be pretty confusing. *sighs* Okay, here we go ...

**Grace Wilson/Mercenary:** If you still don't know who this is after the last chap I will scream!

**Tracie Makrov/Typhoon:** Was recruited by Beast Boy. Terra's younger sister. Very friendly, happy, uplifting person. Has control over Air and Fire too, but only when she's angry. Has curly light brown hair pulled back in an Alice band, is thin, with light blue eyes.

**Jade Black/Nightshade:** Was recruited by Press. High martial arts skills and has the ability to heal herself. Rebellious, likes to make fun of people without being nasty, doesn't like to follow orders. Dark tanned skin, blue-black hair, is tall.

**Shane Anders/Shadow Soul:** Was recruited by Avatar. Doesn't like to see young women in trouble. The ability to manipulate the shadows. Good fighter. Tall, pale, green eyes and black hair (A/N: Sorry if I got him wrong, Shadow John 101, it's just you sent me his app by PM, and I can't find it ... ^^;)

**Sabrina Johnson/Ice Moon:** Was recruited by Starfire. Loves art, especially manga and anime, can be hyper at times but is generally mature. Wants to be a zoologist or cryogenesist when older. Has the ability to manipulate ice, and turn into a werewolf hibreed. Is very tall, pretty, African-American, light hair tied in a bunch of tiny little braids.

**Asher Richardson/Ash:** Was recruited by Raven. Gothic rocker, total rebel, music = life, loves Three Days Grace and Linkin Park. Has the ability to manipulate fire and transform into a werewolf. Has black shaggily cut hair, silver eyes, is very tall and muscular.

**Veronica Switz/Boom Baby:** Was recruited by Gymnasti-Girl. Flirt, kinda clumsy, generally a friendly, happy person but has a bad temper. Has the ability to causes things to explode with her hands, so has to wear special gloves at all times. Grew up in Oklahoma, so has Southern accent. Has long red hair tied in a ponytail, a pretty face, and golden eyes from when she got her powers.

**Elizabeth Logan/Saffire:** Was recruited by Beast Boy. Great sense of humour, bad temper, natural leader, likes to poke fun at people. Is Beast Boy's younger sister. Has the ability to manipulate the shadows and shapeshift into animals like her brother. Long blue hair to her knees, pallid skin, saphire blue eyes. Is Falcon's girlfriend.

**Alex Wayde/Falcon:** Was recruited by Saffire. Likes to be alone most of the time, but cracks jokes when he wants to. Has the ability to manipulate the shadows, throw fire, fly, and heal himself, but his powers other than shadow manipulation tire him. Has brown, spiky hair, one scarred eye and one brown one, wears chakra dot. Is Saffire's boyfriend.

**Cesca/PisCes:** Was recruited by Aqualad. Is shy but not a loner, loves to be in the water, friendly, sweet. Can turn into a mermaid (but only when underwater) and has the ability to maniplulate water. Short, shoulder length black hair and very tanned skin, black eyes.

**Natasha Dugan/Hack:** Was recruited by Cyborg. Funny, a bit of a workaholic, friendly, loyal and protective. Has a form of telepathy she calls 'cyberpathy', is a technopath, can communicate with machinery and is smart with computers. Fair hair tied in braids, light blue eyes, light tan.

**Igim Ze/Paradox Theory:** Was recruited by Delphi. Is an alien from Zetlosia, an alternate dimension version of Tamaran. Is about 14000 years old but looks fifteen because his race ages slowly. Is sort of bossy, doesn't like to take orders, kinda controlling, but very logical too. Can do the impossible on command. Short, cropped black hair, blue-grey pallid skin, is a bit of a fashion disaster.

**Lindsay Hunter Keeley/Huntress:** Was informed/recruited by Speedy. Is very, very shy, doesn't talk much, stays in the background mostly and enjoys listening to music, has a wry sense of humour. Doesn't have any powers but is extremely skilled with archery and shooting. Has a great aim.

If I've left anyone out, I'm sorry! Now let the chapter commence!

xscifi :)

* * *

_She was sitting deep within the crater of Cerro Prieto, a volcano in the middle of Mexico, the lava spurting up every now and then, giving off intense heat and light._

_She had somehow carved a cavern out of the volcano, a place where she couldn't get burned and nobody could see her; it joined up with one of the vent on the side of the volcano, but due to her power over it, it never erupted anymore._

_She was lying on what looked like those chairs that therapists have their patients sit on, her head lolled back and her eyes sort of closed ... half-opened, so you could still see the blood red whites and the non-existent irises and pupils._

_She was Chaos. Enemy of the Teen Squadron, Queen of Evil, as so many had dubbed her. Her skin was an ashy grey- in fact, it WAS ash, and it was that way from when she had fallen into the volcano when she was thirty. Just six short years ago, had her mutation happened, and if it weren't for her power to absorb whichever materials touched her skin, she probably would have perished._

_Her skin, ash grey, as I said before, didn't look like ash. It looked smooth, real. Just discoloured. Her eyes were opened now, so you could see that they were red. Not just the irises red, but the whole thing. She had no nose, strangely, but strong, full lips, a lighter grey colour. She had hair, but at the same time, she didn't. Her hair was actually smoke, swirling and twisting with every move she made, looking like a helmet of curly grey and black hair._

_Her clothes were almost non-existent too. She wore some black material that looked like molten rock, hooked at her neck and draping down, barely covering her breasts and crossing over each other above her belly button so you could see it through a triangle-shaped hole. It was a dress, with two slits down the sides that began very far up. She had legs, but at the same time, she didn't. She legs were sometimes replaced by swirling smoke and shadows, as she prefered to hover than walk. But right now, as she sprawled out on her seat, her legs were there, long, thin, strong and curvy; the same ash grey colur as her skin._

_She was Chaos. Murderer, lover, necromancer, mind-reader, enterer of dreams and inforcer of nightmares. Beautiful and deadly at the same time, and hated by a certain teenaged group of superheroes for the murders of three of their best friends._

_The first one, Kimiko or Red Dragon, as she was known by her alias, had been easy. She had thrown the poor girl's body about like a rag doll, breaking every bone in her body and leaving her friends to mourn over her. The second one was probably the most heartbreaking. Although she hadn't carried it out herself (she'd paid Poison Ivy to do it) it had caused the biggest ripple. Avatar had loved Ghost (or Jeromy as she and her friends knew him) and was heartbroken when he was killed. She had gotten so angry with Ivy that she had burned down Gotham Botanical Gardens and nearly killed Batman and Robin alike. That was just what Chaos had been aiming for. To break the girl's heart and unleash her inner rage. Just what Chaos needed to see. The third death was of Mega Boy or Lance as the team knew him. Chaos had spoken seductively to him first, before making her move. She snapped his neck and killed him instantly. Gymnasti-Girl, his then girlfriend, was devestated._

_Yes, it just went to show that, even though the majority of them had normal upbriginings, the Teen Squadron had pain, anger and hatred, and it was all directed at her. Chaos got up and rubbed her temples. "Unn," she grunted. She had a headache._

_"Mistress, you have visitors," a gargoyle made of rock miraculously managed to fly over and inform her._

_Normally, she would've been surprised to have any visitors at all, living in a volcano and all that. But Chaos had been expecting this visitor for quite some time. "Send her in," she said in her Mexican accent, somehow knowing that the visitor's gender was female._

_The visitor walked in, her long auburn hair tumbling down her back, her thin, curvy legs walking in powerful, confident strides, her stunningly beautiful face smiling and her eyes glistening as they changed colour._

_"Hello, Mary-Sue," Chaos said._

_"Hello, Chaos," the girl replied. She giggled. "How'd ya know it was me?"_

_"I could sense you from a mile away," Chaos answered matter of factly in her Mexican accent. "So, darling. What brings you to Cerro Prieto?"_

_"You."_

_"Yes, I know that. But why?"_

_"I need your help."_

_"You? The most perfect girl in the world needs MY help? Ooh, I'm interested now." she smirked._

_"I want to bring down the Titans ..."_

_"What else is new?"_

_"And the Squadron too."_

_This sparked some interest in the nightmare inforcer. "Really?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "How do you plan to do that?"_

_"With your help," Mary-Sue answered. "I know the Titans like the back of my hand, but I haven't a clue about the Squadron." she giggled. "That's why I need you."_

_"Huh," Chaos muttered. "So I'm a prop?"_

_"NO!" Mary-Sue insisted. "You're ESSENTIAL! Without you, I can't succeed, and I'll let you in on what I'm after ..."_

_"Which is?"_

_Mary-Sue tapped the side of her nose. "Ah," she said. "If I told you it would spoil the surprise!"_

_"I didn't expect anything else," Chaos said flatly. "Very well. I'll join you, but on one condition ..."_

_"And what might that condition be?"_

_"I don't want to be too ... close to them ..."_

_"Why?" The Mary-Sue demanded. _

_The darkest of all necromancers grinned. "I'll show you," she said, crooking a finger to beckon the girl after her._

_Chaos's legs disappeared and were replaced by a massive array of red, gray and black smoke. They walked through the Cerro Prieto's many vents, walking further and further into the heart of the volcano, until they came to a surprisingly clean vent._

_"What the-" Mary-Sue began._

_"Shh!" Chaos hissed._

_The walls of the vent were made of metal, extremely clean and withtout the lingering smell of smoke that the rest of the vents shared. They walked down it, and Mary-Sue looked down only to realize that the floor was made of metal too. And the end of the vent, there was a large metal door. Chaos pressed her grey, ashen hand against a panel next to the door and it quicly slid open._

_The room behind the door was breathtaking. Like a lava filled version of the Batcave, with ladders and walkways and a magma waterfall. It had a hightech looking master computer and an array of vehicles and gadgets, leading Mary-Sue to believe that maybe Chaos wasn't as isolated as she thought. There was something else there too. Three extremely large looking energy fields, kind of like cages, each of them holding a battered, tired looking person._

_The first one held a tall, lean but strong boy. He was lying on his stomach, his cheek resting on the cold floor of his cell and his hands down flat, as if he had been pushed into his position. His wavy, sand blonde hair was unruly and unkempt, but still looked nice, and his piercing blue eye were now closed. His pale, handsome face looked strained, as if he were having a bad dream and his lips were moving. He was either quivering or talking in his sleep. His white, black and blue costume was ripped and bloodstained, indicating that he must have been a super hero, and that he had been brutally beaten._

_The second one held a girl. She was awake, kneeled down on the floor with her hands out in front of her, her long black but red streaked hair covering her pretty Asian face. She was wearing a red turtleneck bell-sleeved shirt that revealed her taut, toned stomach, and a tight black mini skirt that revealed her long, strong pins. She was barefoot, stripped of her steeltoed shoes in case of escape, and a her ninga katanas. She was a warrior who had had her spirit taken from her, which was why she was awake but not screaming, like she had when she was first brought here, years before the other two._

_The third and final held another boy. He was sitting in a upright position, but was clearly unconscious, his head lolling back against the wall of his cell. You couldn't see his face though, as he was wearing a blue and white helmet, complete with a light blue, non-see-through visor that covered his eyes and nose. There was a large crack in the visor, and a bit of blood trailing down his cheek, but he was alive, as you could see from his armoured chest heaving up and down. His muscular body was covered entirely with blue, white and silver armour, and in the middle of his chest there was an upside down pentagon, which in the middle had a large 'M-3000' stencilled inside._

_"Oh. My. God!" Mary-Sue exclaimed, her perfectly manicured hand flying over her mouth._

_Chaos smiled at her. "Totally Chaotic, right?" she said, sounding more American than Mexican for once._

_"This is-" the girl couldn't find the words. "How did you ... What ... Oh my God! This is so sweet! How'd ya do it?"_

_It was Chaos's turn to tap the side of where her nose should've been now. "My secret," she smirked. "Now you can see why I can't get too close? If they follow me they'll-"_

_"I totally get it," Mary-Sue interrupted. "This is amazing! I can't believe ..." she shook her head. "What are you planning to do with them?"_

_"Use them against our annoying little friends," Chaos said. "It's hard though, they're resisting ... the bonds they established during their first time on Earth were stronger than I thought. Not just stupid teenaged infatuation. It was real. I never would've guessed."_

_"This is just TOO cool!" Mary-Sue squealed, rubbing her hands together. "Please tell me you're going to use them when you work with me? Pleeeeeaaassse?"_

_"Fine," Chaos sighed. "But only moderately, to scare the living crap out of them all. And this will scare Richard too, just to tell you."_

_"Excellent," Mary-Sue smiled. "I'll see to it that Posion Ivy and her friends are broken out of Arkham Asylum. That'll help us along."_

_"Ahh," Chaos smiled. "My poisonous old friend. Please give her my condolences to the injuries she recieved in the Botanical Gardens. I had no idea our little Elementress had such a bad temper."_

_"I will," Mary-Sue promised._

_"Aren't reunions nice?" Chaos beamed._

_"This'll be the best reunion ever!" Mary-Sue looked in the directions of the cells. "Why are they so ..."_

_"... Beaten up?" Chaos finished. "As I told you, they're resisting. The girl isn't as bad now ..."_

_"The blonde kid looks the worst," Mary-Sue noticed._

_"He was the most passionate," Chaos explained. "His bond was much stronger than the others'. He still calls out her name."_

_"Poor guy," the girl cooed. _

_"Yes, poor guy," Chaos agreed. "Shall we visit Arkham together, my darling Mary-Sue? My son will take care of our weapons while we're away."_

_"We'll go later," Mary-Sue waved a hand dismissively. "I have other things to attend to."_

_"Fair enough," Chaos shrugged her ashen shoulders. "I'll have Havoc take care of them anyway. I'm tired."_

_The two women bid each other goodbye, May-Sue disappearing in a puff of blue smoke and Chaos rubbing her temples._

_"I'll take over now, Mother," a tall boy with thick, wavy black hair and dark rings under his piercing blue eyes smirked._

_"Ah, Havoc, my beautiful son," Chaos cooed. "You're such a good boy, thank you. I'll be where I always am - near the crater - and, sweetie? If it's not too much trouble, don't beat them too hard today. I'll need them soon, and they'll have to be strong."_

_"You're planning to hurt my sister and her team?" Although you wouldn't have known, Havoc and Delphi were actually half-siblings through their father. Havoc was younger, borne by Chaos, and Delphi was older, she and her deceased twin brother had been borne by Helen Demetrius._

_"Yes," Chaos confirmed. "I'll be off now, carino. Call me if you need something."_

_She kissed him on the forehead with her ashy grey lips and was off._

_Havoc smirked and took out a crowbar from behind his back. "Easy my ass," he muttered, making his way to the first cell._

_He'd leave the girl alone today, he decided. He quite liked her, both personality and looks wise, and those first few months when she still had her spark were some of the best of Havoc's life. He'd fallen for her, but now, thanks to Chaos, she'd been reduced to a desolate, anti-social, depressed, silent ex-warrior._

_"Hey," he said, sliding open the cell door._

_The occupant was awake now, his startlingly blue eyes half-opened, his face bored. He didn't speak, but his lips still quivered._

_"I got a surprise for ya," Havoc said, whipping out the crowbar. "We're gonna have some fun today, ain't we, Jez?" he called the boy by his old nickname._

_The boy stood up. He glared at the other teenager, their piercing blue eyes locking, perfectly mirroring each other._

_"I used to be your little brother, Jez," Havoc said slowly, raising the crowbar above his head._

_He tried to slam it down on the occupant, but he rolled out of the way. The boy tried to fight back, but it was no use. Lack of food and lack of effort was his downfall._

_"Who's so little now?" Havoc sneered as he hit the other boy over the head with the crowbar. He walked over, bent down, and whispered into his ear._

_"I will always be better than you. You died, and I didn't. What does that tell you?" he spat on his brother's head and walked out with a smirk on his face to beat the other boy._

_The occupant lay unconscious on the ground, in the same position Mary-Sue had first viewed him in, his lips still quivering. Silently, ever so silently, they were saying the same word over and over again:_

_"Leela, Leela, Leela, Leela ..."_

* * *

_"When there's trouble, you know what to dooooooooooo ... CALL CYBORG! He can shoot a rocket from his shoooooooeeee ... COS HE'S CYBORG!"_

Cyborg was wearing a chef's hat and flipping pancakes as he sang the alternate version of the Teen Titans theme song.

It was nine AM, and all of the Titans and Squadron were up and eating breakfast. Like Cyborg, Starfire was cooking (something that smelled strangely like cat hair), Raven was reading her book at the table while carefully sipping herbal tea, Beast Boy was trying to get everyone laughing as he dug into his tofu, Gymnasti-Girl was eating into a bowl of Lucky Charms, Avatar was eating some Honeynut Cheerios, and Press was playing a little racket on the table with two spoons (he was actually a pretty keen drummer). Robin was in his study.

Delphi was stirring some honey into her tea, singing Eliza Doolittle's 'Pack Up' in her high, melodic voice.

_"Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag and bury them beneath the sea,"_ she trilled as she sat down beside her boyfriend. Press continued to bang at the table.

Delphi stopped. "Press, if you keep banging at the table, I'm going to rip those spoons out of your hands!" she said, doing just that and poking him with one of the spoons.

"Delphi, if you keep singing that song, I'm to rip your voice box out of your throat!" Press retorted, but you could tell by his voice that he was joking.

"Why are they acting like this?" Beast Boy asked Avatar as they hid behind the box of Cheerios.

"How should I know?" Avatar hissed back. "My best guess is, they had a great make-out session last night. Remember when we used to get like that?"

"Oh." Beast Boy said in a thoughtful whisper. "Yes, I do. That explains it."

"What were you two doing back there?" Gymnasti-Girl asked, her mouth full of Lucky Charms.

"Discussing why Press and I are in such good moods," Delphi said cheerfully before either of them could say anything.

"How did you-" Beast Boy began to ask.

Delphi tapped her forehead. "Mind reader, remember?" she chided. "And, yes, Avatar was right. We DID make out last night."

"And it was awesome," the usually sullen Press laughed.

"Couples, huh?" Cyborg chuckled. "It's moments like these that I'm glad that I'm single."

"Why are you glad of that, friend Cyborg?" Starfire asked, sitting down with her food. It was purple and sticky-looking. "Are you not wistful for a loved one of your own?"

"Well ... yeah," Cyborg suddenly looked sad. "I guess I am ..."

Starfire had enough sense to change the subject. "So, we are all in high spirits, this morning, are we not?" she coughed.

"Yeah!" Gymnasti-Girl grinned. "Wonder why though ..."

"Maybe because odds are looking great!" Beast Boy punched her arm. "Seriously, sis. And I thought _I _was bad!"

Technically, Beast Boy and Gymnasti-Girl weren't really brother and sister. But since Gymnasti-Girl's mother was Elasti-Girl (she'd had an affair with Plastic-Man when she and Mento had been going through a rough spot, Gymnasti-Girl was the result, but Rita gave her up for adoption because she felt so guilty), and Elasti-Girl was Beast Boy's adoptive mother, the two had welcomed the thought of being siblings with open arms.

"The odds are awesome!" Cyborg enthused. "I don't know about y'all, but I think we have a great chance of winning!" He sat down and began to eat his bacon.

"Totally," Press agreed, back to his sullen one word answers.

"Uh, guys?" Raven spoke for the first time that morning, her monotone voice cracking with lack of use. "I know things are looking great, but have you ever heard about counting your chickens before they hatch?"

"What the heck do chickens have to do with this?" Beast boy demanded stupidly.

Raven rolled her eyes and went back to her book.

"Well, let's hope it all turns out for the best," Delphi suddenly looked worried.

"Will it?" everyone in the room stared at her after Press's question.

"I don't know ..." Delphi looked frightened.

Suddenly, Robin walked in, looking as if the world had ended.

"What's YOUR problem?" Avatar asked him.

"Captain Ella Eve Slicer was murdured last night," Robin announced.

Cyborg's mouth dropped open, spilling his half-chewed bacon.

The others stopped what they were doing and just stared.

"Somebody, PLEASE say something!" Robin begged after a long silence.

"I don't believe this," Raven whispered. "Just a few days ago, she was alive and well ..."

Delphi stood up. "This is my fault," she whispered. "This is all my fault ..."

"You know it's not," Press stood up too. "There was no way you could've known ..."

"I _should've_ known though ... I'm the psychic," Delphi's voice was strained. "WHY DON'T I EVER SEE WHAT I'M SUPPOSED TO SEE!" The items on the breakfast table began to shake as Delphi grew more angry.

"Please, there is no need for us to be getting upset," Starfire said nervously as she held onto Robin's hand.

"Yeah, calm down," Beast Boy said.

"I never see," Delphi wasn't listening. She began walking to the door of the Common Room, and stopped. "It's been the same for years. I didn't see any of our friends' de-" she hiccuped. "I'm not ... good."

"It's not your fault," Press said. He was suddenly behind her. "Gina, it wasn't ..."

"This is only just the beginning," Delphi muttered, to herself more than anyone else. "This was just a warning ... she wants us to know what she can do ..."

"What CAN she do?" Cyborg asked.

"I'm guessing: Bad things," Raven answered.

"I need to leave," Delphi whispered.

"Hey, I'll go with you," Press brightened at this, taking her hand. He liked to be alone with her.

"No ..." Delphi pulled away. "I need to figure myself out ... I need to ... think. I just want to be alone, I'm sorry, Dave."

Press looked wounded, but didn't let on. "Oh ..." his voice was strained. "Well, you know ... that's okay." He shrugged.

Delphi sighed as she exited the Common Room.

She hadn't meant to push him away. She wanted more than anything to have him hold her in his strong arms and tell her everything was going to be fine, just like he had last night.

_I guess this is just my way of getting pay-back,_ Delphi thought miserably.

**-FLASHBACK-**

_Delphi and Press were kissing passionately on the couch of the Common Room, Press hands straying below her belt, Delphi with her hands on his chest._

_She loved it when they were like this, Delphi thought. They were so open with each other, never holding back, completely comfortable in their own skin, comfortable with themselves._

_Delphi started unbuttoning his shirt. She ran her hands over his bare chest, feeling his muscles and his scars, exploring him for the first time. Press stiffened a bit, but kept kissing her fiercely. They fell onto on each other, Delphi on top. She kissed him more passionately. She'd been holding back before, but now she was ready to go farther._

_Press's shirt was now on the floor._

_Her biggest mistake was made now; they continued kissing, but Delphi moved her hands down from his chest and to his belt. She slowly began unbuckling it ..._

_And this was where things got bad._

_"Stop!" Press suddenly ripped his lips from hers and turned away. "That's ENOUGH, Gina!"_

_Delphi blinked in shock, surprised at how fast everything had happened. "I'm sorry," she wheezed, trying to catch her breath. "It's just that, you know, at first you didn't object, and you seemed to like it ..." She put her hand on his shoulder. He shrugged it off._

_"DAVE!" Delphi looked surprised and hurt._

_Press looked at her sadly. His face crumbled. "I'm sorry, Gi," he whispered. "I enjoyed it, really, but ... I can't go that far ... I'm not ready ..."_

_"You're eighteen," Delphi pointed out. "You're old enough, and mature enough too!"_

_"NO, I'M NOT!" Press suddenly wailed. His body began shaking with anger. "You know what my dad did to me, Gina. He beat me up and verbally abused me, yeah. But he didn't stop there. Every night, if he didn't beat me up first, he'd come into my room and 'teach me how to be a man'. That's what he called. Every night, I'd pray he wouldn't come, but he did! He sexually abused me, Gina! So, no, I'm not ready, no matter what you think!"_

_He got up and grabbed his shirt, before walking out of the room angrily, leaving Delphi deep in thought._

**-END OF FLASHBACK-**

How they'd managed to make everyone think everything was hunk dory this morning, she had no idea. But, she'd been hurt by his rejection, just as he had been hurt by hers.

_Funny,_ Delphi thought sadly. _I love him but he's keeping me out. We're pushing each other away when we really should be coming closer together. There may be no time for that soon ..._

She burst into tears at the terrible thought.

* * *

Nightshade looked around her in complete and utter boredom.

_When the hell will they get here?_ she silently fumed, willing the high and mighty Titans to appear. _Jesus Christ, we've been waiting for over a day now!_

She sighed. Everyone around her seemed to be mingeling with SOMEONE. _I need someone to talk to,_ she thought. _Hey, she looks kinda cool! _

She grinned at a girl with white blonde as she walked up to her.

"Hey," she greeted the girl.

"Hey ..." the girl's response was flat.

Nightshade was taken aback by the lack of enthusiasm, but didn;t let it fase her. "I'm Nightshade," she introduced herself.

"Mercenary," the girl replied in the same flat tone. "Nice to meet ya."

"Doesn't seem all that nice," Nightshade said sarcastically.

"Sorry ..." Mercenary sighed. "I'm a little down at the moment, ya know?"

"How come?" Nightshade asked.

Mercenary shrugged. "Why should I tell you?" she snapped.

"Hey, no need to get offensive!" Nightshade put her hands up in defence. "I asked a flippin' question!"

The two girls glared at each other.

"Sorry," Mercenary said again. "I must be coming off as a total bitch."

"'Coming off as'?" Nightshade smirked.

"You gotta problem?" Mercenary said sharply.

"No problem," Nightshade said. She sighed. "I like taking the piss outta people. Gets me in trouble but it's worth it."

"That's one thing we got in common," Mercenary smiled wryly.

"I'll take your word for it then!" Nightshade laughed. "So, who were you recruited by?"

"Wasn't recruited," Mercenary answered simply. "I wandered into the middle of all of this when all I wanted to do was meet my half-brother," she stared at the other girl. "Ironic, isn't it?"

"Too ironic," Nightshade laughed. "Do you mind though?"

"Naw."

"How come?"

"Gives ya something to do, I guess. I always had a feeling that the world would end, but I didn't think it would be before I'd settled down, or got married or shagged someone ..." her serious frown turned into a mischevious smile.

"I'm really gonna like you, Mercenary," Nightshade hugged her sides as she laughed some more.

"Call me 'Mercy'," Mercenary grinned.

Not too far away, two boys were having an intense stare down.

One was wearing a load of black armour and had black hair and green eyes, the other one wore a red cloak and had brown hair and brown eyes, as well as pallid skin.

"TRAITOR!" they yelled at each other.

"What the heck?" Nightshade's black eyes widened.

"Let's go check this out," Mercenary put on her 'no-nonsense' face and walked over to the boys.

The boys circled each other, looking each other up and down and glaring as they did so. Eventually, they both stopped and glared at each other.

"Watcha lookin' at?" Nightshade asked casually.

"I am searching for his item," the brown haired boy answered.

"You're looking a little too high up, don't'cha think?" Nightshade smirked.

_"Nightshade,"_ Mercenary hissed, elbowing her in the stomach.

The boys relaxed their tense postures.

"He didn't mean ... that," the black haired boy laughed.

"Yes, I simply meant his necromancing item," the brown haired boy explained.

"Necro-what now?" Nightshide blinked.

"I'm so sorry about that," the black haired boy ignored her. "It's just that, when I'm around another necromancer, I feel nervous ..."

"Me too," the brown haired boy grinned.

"I thought you were one of them!" the two boys said in unison, then they burst out laughing.

"If nobody explains, I will punch something, preferably someone's gut," Mercenary said seriously.

"Oh, excuse my terrible manners," the brown haired boy looked embarrassed. "My name is Falcon."

"And I'm Shadow Soul," the black haired boy said. "But you can call me 'Shadow'."

"Okay, Shadow and Falcon," Nightshade said. "What the HELL was that all about?"

"A necromaner is someone who can manipulate the shadows," Falcon explained. "There are two types of necromancers; Black Necromancers, and Light Necromancers."

"Light Necromancers choose to transfer their powers into their soul," Shadow continued. "This means that it's their own strength that's worn down whenever they use their powers."

"Black Necromancers choose to transfer their powers into an inanimate object," Falcon said. "This means that whenever they're using their powers, their strength isn't worn down, others' are."

"And others' lives are shortened too," Shadow explained. "When a Black Necromancer uses his powers, the life of the ordinary human closest to him's life is shortened as a result of him using his powers."

"Black Necromancers are evil," Falcon concluded. He turned to Shadow. "Which is why I'm so glad that you're not one of them!"

"I'm glad you're not one either!" sighed Shadow. "Otherwise, you know I probably would've had to kill you, right?"

"Yep," Falcon said. "I would've done the same to you, my friend."

The two boys burst out laughing.

Mercenary glanced from one boy to the other, and then thought of Red X.

"I hate boys!" she wailed. "They never take anything seriously!"

* * *

At that moment, Tracie Makrov was feeling very uncomfortable.

She was the only new Titan there without a supersuit, super name, or great superpowers, she thought. Why, oh why, had she ever agreed to be a part of this whole stupid thing?

_Oh yeah,_ she remembered. _Because of that cute green guy._

The whole way back to the Tower, Beast Boy had made her laugh and had sent himself up.

"I mean, I green, for God's sake!" he'd joked. "You can imagine how hard it is for me to get a date!"

"I don't believe you!" Tracie had grinned. "You ears are absolutely adorable!"

Beast Boy had smirked. "I told her ..." he'd muttered. Tracie hadn't asked what he'd meant.

"Huh," she sighed. He was absolutely perfect. Green skin and all. Funny too.

_No way,_ she thought. _I can't be getting a crush! Especially not on HIM! Not after my sister ..._ She frowned. What if somebody found out? She and Terra beared an incredibly likeness to each other, despite the fact that Terra was blonde and straight and Tracie was brown and curly. But they still had the same body shape, the same blue eyes, the same husky voice. _Like twins ..._ she thought despairingly.

"Lost?"

"GAH!" Tracie squealed, startled by the voice.

"HEY!" The owner of the voice looked almost as frightened as Tracie felt. "Are ... are you okay?"

Tracie nodded. The person the voice belonged to was a tall, curvy young woman with long, honey blonde hair held back with a blue hair band, a blue mask over her green eyes and a blue super suit on her curvy body.

"Yeah .." Tracie murmured. "At least I THINK so!"

"Lost?" the girl repeated her question.

"Um ... why?" Tracie blinked.

"Cos you look lost!" the other girl laughed. "My name's Gymnasti-Girl, honey, but you can call me G.G."

"Hey, G.G.," Tracie smiled. "I'm not lost, but I feel like it!" she pulled a face. "Oh, and I'm Tracie, by the way." she smiled.

"I thought so," Gymnasti-Girl muttered. "No supersuit?"

"Not yet," Tracie bit her lip. "Or a name either, for that matter."

"No offense, but you kinda seem like a fish out of water here," Gymnasti-Girl said apologetically.

"Yeah ..." Tracie looked upset.

"But that's why I came over here."

"Huh?"

"Sweeite, you need a name and an outfit," Gymnasti-Girl explained. "And I sure as hell bet that you already got your eyes on someone!"

"Yeah," Tracie smiled. "I kinda do ..."

"Awesome!" Gymnasti-Girl whooped. "Tracie, by the time I'm done with you, you're gonna have the looks - and the confidence - of a model and a stripper combined!"

"I hope so!" Tracie laughed. "Just gimme some of what you've got, G.G.!"

"You'll never get it!" Gymnasti-Girl teased. "At least not until you've learned The Secret!"

"What's that?"

Gymnasti-Girl tapped her nose. "See," she said. "If I told you, it wouldn't be fun!"

Tracie's face fell.

"Aw, c'mon!" Gymnasti-Girl said. "Meet me in my room after the briefing and I'll fix you real nice! I know what my brother likes!"

"Brother?"

"Beast Boy."

"Sorry, can't say I see the resemblance ..."

"Nobody ever does!" Gymnasti-Girl said cheerfully. "But, since I'm guessing that's who you have your gorgeous blue eyes on, I'll help ya. I know what he likes!"

"Gee, thanks!" Tracie beamed. "You're really nice, you know that?"

"Flattery will get ya everywhere, sweetheart," Gymnasti-Girl winked at her before flouncing off.

* * *

PisCes was feeling alright, for the most part.

After Aqualad had dropped her off at the Tower, he'd told her that he had something to take care of, and that he'd be back soon.

In spite of herself, she missed him.

_Stop,_ she told herself firmly. _It's over between us both. We had fun, but it didn't last. I loved Garth, but ..._ she sighed. She still remembered her time with Richard from when the circus had come to the Phillipines. For two whole weeks, they'd laughed and joked, the language barrier between them was soon diminished as Ces had known some English from school. _When the circus left, I was devestated, _Cesca thought_. But, after I came to Jump, when I saw him wearing his uniform in the paper ... _she shook her head. She'd known it was him straight away.

"You alright?" came a voice.

"Huh?" Cesca looked up to see a tall, pretty, African-American blonde girl looking at her.

"You okay, kid?" the girl asked. "Looks like the lights are on but nobody's home!"

PisCes stared at her blankly, not getting the joke.

"Um ... I'm Ice Moon," the girl stuck out her hand. "You can call me Ice though, if ya want."

"I'd like that," PisCes said in her slightly accented voice. "I'm PisCes, but you can call me Ces or Cesca." she grinned.

"So, what age are you?" Ice Moon asked.

"I'm fourteen," Cesca answered. "I was actually working a shift at the pool when I was recruited ..."

"I was in the middle of a college art class!" Ice Moon laughed. "That Starfire chick showed up and ordered me outta there, somehow knowing everything about me! My bestie - Christine - called a little while later, wanting to know where the hell I was, but I just told her I had _family_ trouble." Ice winced as she said the word.

"What can you do?" Cesca asked.

"I can manipulate ice - and occasionally, water too - and I can transform into a werewolf hibreed," she smiled.

"I can turn into a mermaid when water touches my skin, and I can also manipulate water," PisCes replied.

"Not ice?"

Ces shrugged. "I've never tried."

"You should," Ice Moon encouraged. "If you can manipulate water, chances are you have a 75% chance of being able to manipulate ice too!" she was bouncing slightly, like an excited two-year-old.

"Yeah ..." Cesca was uncomfortable by Ice's bouncing.

"Sorry ..." Ice Moon apologized. "I get hyper sometimes for no reason. It annoys the crap outta people, but I like it!"

"So, what age are you?" PisCes asked.

"I'm nineteen," Ice answered quickly. "I'm a sophomore at JCU and I'm hoping to get a degree in Japanese art or cryogenetics."

"Looks like that'll have to be put on hold ..." Cesca's shyness was beginning to turn her tanned cheeks pink.

"I guess," Ice Moon shrugged nonchalantly. "But - you know how it is - the end of the world and all ..." she shrugged. "Might as well go trying to protect what you believe in."

"And you believe in ...?"

"I believe that violence and arguing is pointless," Ice answered. "I'm kinda being a hypocrite by going out and fighting, but we - even people we don't particularly like - deserve to live full lives."

"I agree with you," said PisCes.

Ice Moon shrugged. "Hey!" she said suddenly. "Who's that guy over there?"

Cesca looked past the tall older girl and saw a boy with black, cropped hair and pallid grey skin sluoched up against a wall, his hands in his ripped jean pockets.

"A loner ..." Cesca said, then laughed. "I'm kidding," she said, thinking of herself. "He's probably just really shy."

"We should talk to him!" Ice Moon enthused. "He's super-mega-awesome-hot-with-awesomesauce-on-top!"

"If you say so!" PisCes laughed. "Hey, you!"

The guy's head snapped up. "Are you talking to me?" he looked genuinely surprised.

"Yeah!" Ice grinned. "We kinda noticed that you were alone ..."

The guy shrugged. "I prefer it that way ..." his tone was defensive.

Ice Moon didn't appear to be fazed by the boy's hostility. "That's cool," she shrugged. "We just - you know- thought maybe you wanted someone to talk to. It IS quite crazy here, after all."

"It is so," agreed the boy.

"Hey, I'm Ice Moon," she grinned.

"I am Paradox Theory," said the boy. "But you can call me Paradox or Igim Ze."

"Heya, Paradox," Ice Moon said. "I'm guessing by your appearance that you're not from here?"

"No, I am not of the human race," said Paradox.

"Where're ya from then?" enquired Ice Moon.

"I'm from Zetlosia," Paradox answered.

Ice sweat-dropped. "Well, sorry," she said. "But I haven't heard of that place ..."

"It's alright," shrigged Paradox. "Not a lot of people have; It was destroyed a lone time ago."

"Yeah ..." Ice Moon looked uncomfortable. "It seems like there's a new planet in the solar system everyday! What ever happened to the nine I learned in elementary school?"

"They introduced us to their extended family," it was a stiff joke from Paradox (who hadn't smiled at all throughout the whole conversation), but Ice Moon nearly split her sides laughing.

Cesca slowly stepped away as she felt that her time with the older girl was over. She'd find someone else to talk to. After all, who'd want to get in the way of a conversation that - by Ice Moon's standards, anyway - was going for a full-on flirting session?

* * *

**(A/N: Okay, so here I'm introducing AngelicBrat123's OC, Boom Baby officially. Boom Bany is from Oklahoma, so she speaks with a southern accent. So, if you begin to wonder why I'm spelling 'I' 'Ah', or any other words with an 'I' sound as 'Ah', now you know! ^^;)**

"Hey, cutie!"

Ash looked up from the black biker boot he was tying.

"How are ya?" the voice of the cute redhead asked.

"Um ... fine," Ash blew some black bangs out of his face. He smiled awkwardly.

The redhead smiled back. "Ah'm Boom Baby," she said. "But you can call meh BB or Baby-V!"

"Kay," Ash replied. "Uh, I'm Ash ... no nickname." he pulled a face.

"Ash, huh?" she smirked. "Cute name."

"Cute accent," Ash retorted.

"Ah'm from Henrietta, Oklahoma," Boom Baby said.

"How is it over there?" Ash asked.

"Ah don't know ..." Boom Baby looked trouble."I didn't spend too long over there, to be honest." She pulled a face this time.

"Your accent's strong enough," Ash muttered.

"Ah spent a lotta tahm around other Okies," Boom Baby explained. "Where're you from, anyways?"

"..." Asher didn't say anything. "I can't remember ..."

"Cain't remember?" Boom Baby looked confused. "Wha cain't you remember?"

"I don't wanna talk about it ..." Asher muttered.

"That's cool," said Boom Baby. "You cain tell meh when you're ready though."

"Not likely ..." Ash said it too low for her to hear.

"What?" Boom Baby asked.

"Nothing!" Ash snapped.

"Chill, dude!" Boom Baby fired back. "Ah didn't mean to get you mad!"

Ash turned away. "Why are you here again?"

"Ah thought you looked lonely," Boom Baby pouted. "Ah'm guessin' that Ah made a big mistake for thinkin' you wanted company."

She began to walk away.

"Wait!"

Boom Baby turned around expectantly.

"What?" she growled.

"I'm sorry ..." said Ash. "I was outta line."

"Waaaay outta lahn, sweetheart," Boom Baby smirked.

Ash blushed. "Don't call me that ..." he muttered.

"Ah'm sorry," Boom Baby said sarcastically. "Ah didn't know you hated nahs people!"

"I don't hate nice people ..." Ash said. "I just ..."

"Forget it," Boom Baby put up a hand dismissively. "Ah've heard enough ..."

"But-"

"Later, Smokey ..." she flounced off.

_DAMN IT!_ Ash thought. _First time a cute girl talks to you, and all you do is put a foot in your mouth!_

He sighed. _Probably the last time, too!_ He snarled inwardly. _She's walking over to that black robot guy ..._

* * *

Cyborg was staring at the blonde haired girl who was crouched under the control panel, a wrench in her gloved hand, working furiously at the bolts and wires.

"Hack," he said. "What are you doin'?"

"I'm fixing this thing ..." Hack muttered absently. "Seriously, Blue, this wire work is a mess, and don't even get me started on how these bolts are alligned!"

Cyborg pouted. "Who're you to be criticising my wire-work?" he asked.

"No one, I guess ..." Hack blushed. "But, you'd know if you read my profile that I have this thing where I want to make everything ... better!"

"My control panel was fine the way it was ..." Cybrog muttered.

"But now you have a better mission stimulator," Hack pointed out. "Thanks to ME!"

"Okay, okay," he held up his hands. "I'm guessing that all you want is a little praise from the big tech guy on campus, that's all."

"'Praise from the big tech guy on campus'?" Hack quoted, a smirk spreading on her face. "Are you on crack, Blue? I don't want any praise from YOU!"

"How come?" Cyborg demanded. "You don't think I can fix a control panel faster than you?" His voice was playful.

"Well, I actually think I can _build_ a control panel better than you, because of all the mistakes I've just put right," Hack's voice was equally playful.

"C'mere, you!" Cyborg dove for her and hoisted her up. "I'll show you to mess with me!"

They wrestled playfully for a few minutes, laughing as they did.

_This is crazy!_ thought Hack. _I've known the guy for a couple of days and already we're fooling about like we've known each other for years! Why do I feel this way?_

Despite her distraction, Hack continued to wrestle with Cyborg until they were interrupted by a polite cough.

"Hey, y'all," Boom Baby gave them a confused smile. "Am Ah interruptin' anythang?"

"Nah," Cyborg put Hack down and tried to catch his breath. "We were just - um - messin' ..."

"Ah can see that," Boom Baby's face was amused.

Hack cleared her throat. "Um, should I go, Cy?" she looked uncomfortable.

"Well ..." Cyborg rubbed the back of his neck.

"Naw, it's okay, y'all don't have to leave on account of me!" Boom Baby giggled. "Ah understand that Ah caught y'all at an awkward tahm, but there's no need for you to be embarrassed!" her smile was so warm that Hack found herself agreeing with the newcomer.

"Yeah, um ..." she blushed. "Hi, I'm Hack." she stuck out her hand.

"Ha, Ah'm Boom Baby," she shook hands with the other girl.

"Was there something you wanted?" asked Cyborg.

"Yeah," said Boom Baby. "Ah just came up cos Ah wanted to know when the briefin' was gonna start. A lot of us 're gettin' kinda ... restless." she blushed.

"Oh, yeah," said Cyborg. "Um, it shouldn't be long now, I think. I mean, maybe ten minutes, or-"

"You don't gotta go on and on, sweetie," the southern girl winked. "Ah don't really care about the briefin', Ah just had to come up with an excuse to come up here and talk to y'all!"

"What?" Cyborg looked thrilled.

"Wha so surprised, handsome?" Boom Baby smiled. "You fand it hard to believe that Ah want to meet you after trainin' to maybe go and get somethin' to eat?"

"Um, no!" said Cyborg. "And, I'd love to!"

Hack cleared her throat. "Um, I think I'd better go ..." her voice was tight. "I'll leave the pair of you alone. You obviously got a lot to talk about ..."

"No, Hack-" began Cyborg.

"-It's okay," said Hack. "I'll just ... go ..."

"It was nas to meet y'all!" called Boom Baby as she walked away. She arm was now around Cyborg.

"Yeah, it was nice to meet you too," Hack replied, her face stoney.

_... Not,_ she continued inwardly. _Why'd that stupid hillbilly have to come over and ruin everything? I was about to ask him out!_

* * *

"Okay, okay, okay ..." Robin braced himself. "So, I speak first, then Av, then Raven gives the briefing on the different training areas, Star gives sleeping arrangements, and Beast Boy gives free time?"

"That's right," confirmed Raven. "Listen, Robin. Calm down. You sound like the president, or something ..."

"I wouldn't go that far," chided Beast Boy. "Seriously, Rae. He may _think_ he's that important, but he's not."

"Glad to hear you think so highly of me," Robin's voice was sarcastic.

"I don't!" Beast Boy said cheerfully. _"You_ do!"

Raven face-palmed.

"Okay," she said. "So, everything is going fine for the moment. Where's Av?"

"Here," right on cue, the elemental girl walked in. "You called?"

"Yes," said Raven. "You're on straight after Robin, okay?"

"Yeah, I know," Avatar rolled her eyes. "I just don't get why I'm the one who has to give the speech about how being a superhero can be dangerous and life-threatening, while Wonder Boy over there gets to go on about how rewarding and glorious it is."

"Hey!" said Robin. "It's _Boy Wonder_! Quit using inversion on me, Leela!"

"Ugh," Delphi grunted, walking in. "You sound like my French teacher."

"What?" Robin's face was black.

Delphi rolled her eyes. "How much time do we have?"

"A few minutes," Raven checked the sheet of paper she was holding.

"Can I just ask why exactly this is so important?" Beast Boy questioned. "I mean, seriously, why does everything have to be planned with you people? Why can't it ever just be, 'Yeah, you know, whatevers ...'?"

"We don't roll that way," answered Raven.

"Who's saying you 'roll' any way?" Beast Boy demanded. "I swear, Raven, you're about as round as a square."

"And what's THAT supposed to mean?" Raven was confused, but her voice was hard.

"I don't know ..." Beast Boy looked worried.

"OKAY, PEOPLE!" screamed Robin. "ENOUGH WITH ALL THE NON-SERIOUSNESS! I AM GOING OUT TO ADDRESS THE PUBLIC IN A FEW MINUTES AND NOBODY'S PAYING ATTENTION TO ME!"

"..." The other Titans didn't say anything.

"You have issues," said Avatar, walking off.

"Yeah, Robin, lighten up," Beast Boy walked off in a huff.

"Ususally, I never agree with him, but oddly enough, today I do," Raven walked off in the same direction.

"LOSER!" Delphi stormed away.

"..." Robin blinked.

"What did I say?"

* * *

"I think it's starting!" Ice Moon hissed excitedly to PisCes.

"I hope so!" PisCes said. _I can't wait to see Richard again, _she added silently_. I wonder if he remembers me ...?_

"It's about time!" Shadow Soul was saying to Falcon. "Hey, you mentioned earlier on that you've worked with the Titans before. Are they cool?"

"Really cool," confirmed Falcon. "The green guy's a bit of an oddball at times, but they're generally a very good bunch."

"Awesome," said Shadow. "So ... what about these 'Team Squadron' people?"

"I believe it is _'Teen_ Squadron'," corrected Falcon. "But ... what about them?"

"Well, what are they like?" Shadow asked. "And where did they come from? And when'd they get involved with the Titans?"

"Well, I heard from my girlfriend, Saffire, that they are actually kinda nice," said Falcon. "It is believed that they came from New York nearly four and a half years ago and their leader had a previously romantic connection with Robin, so I think that's how the teams are so close now."

"Wait, isn't the leader that Avatar chick?" asked Shadow.

"Yeah," Mercenary cut in before Falcon could say anything. "She's really nice. A little dippy and kinda careful, but nice."

"But, she was involved with Robin?" Shadow looked a little pissed.

"Sure, I was too!" Mercenary snorted. "Robin really gets around! The dork's a great kisser, but he's still ... a dork." - she pulled a face - "Don't think that's the reason why she broke it off though. Something about him letting her friend die or whatever ... even though they cleared that up and stuff. And the Boy Blunder's still pretty hot, but I've moved on." she smirked. "I just made out with his arch enemy!"

"Ooh! Gossip!" Boom Baby burst in. "Do tell, sweetie! Ah'm bored outta mah mand with only Smokey for company!"

"Hey!" came Asher's annoyed protest.

"Hush up!" Boom Baby snapped. "Continue, darlin'."

"Well, you know how I went to recruit this guy?" said Mercenary.

"Yeah," came the reply of everyone who had been present when Mercenary left for Diamond City.

"Well, the guy I was recruiting; he was my ex!"

The female listeners gasped while the male listeners rolled their eyes.

"And he saved my life, too!" boasted Grace. "I nearly fell off of the building - we were fighting first, long story - and then, he looked into my eyes and we had a mad, passionate snogging session!"

"Aww ..." cooed the girls.

"Why does everything have to be 'passionate' with you women?" Paradox demanded. "How much do you want from us?"

"A lot," said Nightshade. "No man could ever reach my expectations, and I doubt that anyone ever will." she pulled a face. "Boys are idiots. All of them are a complete waste of time."

"-Which is what I was getting to!" said Mercenary. "Ever we'd finished snogging, I asked him to come with me, but he said no! After all this time, we're reunited, and when I finally ask him to come with me, he says no! What the hell?" she began to look as sullen as she had when Nightshade had first approached her.

"Is that why you were in such a shitty mood with me?" asked Nightshade.

"Yeah," Mercenary replied. "God, I hate boys!"

"Surely you can't think we're all bad!" protested Falcon.

"Yeah," agreed Shadow. "Hate to break to ya, ladies, but you guys aren't exactly 'heavenly' yourselves!"

"And wha would you say that?" demanded a pissed off looking Boom Baby.

"You're all so demanding!" said Ash. "You want us to second guess everything you do, yet when we ask what's wrong, you don't tell us what it is!"

"You're always fishing for compliments," agreed Shadow Soul. "'My butt looks big in this!' 'Why can't I be more pretty?' 'My make-up looks sooooo ugly!'" he mimicked. "Jeez, why can't you all just appreciate that you're beautiful and move on? You all know that you look fantasic, and if I may say so myself, I have never been surrounded by so many beautiful girls!"

"You know what?" said Boom Baby. "Ah lak you, honey! What's yer name?"

"Shadow," he smiled.

"I must agree with my necromancer friend," said Falcon, continuing. "You all look extremely beautiful, but I must say that none of you can compare to my dear Saffire."

"Who's she?" asked PisCes.

"My girlfriend," answered Falcon.

"Is she here?"

"No, not at the moment," said Falcon. "She is co-leader of Titans South, you see, and the other half of the team are in Mexico with the remainder fo Titans East and the full team of Titans North on a mission. She is not here presently as she is collecting the remainder of Titans East and running an important erand."

"Is she part of the mission?" asked Hack, suddenly walking up and joining the conversation.

"Yes, she'll be here soon, I expect."

"With my soulmate!" came an excited voice.

"Who?" the others looked at Gymnasti-Girl in confusion as she walked over with an embarrassed Tracie.

"My 'Broken Arrow'," giggled the elastic flirt. "Try and guess who, guys! Oh, and, also; we may be having regular make-out sessions, but we're not officially a couple, so I'm still up for grabs, fellas!" She winked at the boys and flounced off.

"Give me some of that!" whistled Asher.

"Meh ..." Falcon pretended not to be interested.

"Ahem ..." Paradox cleared his throat. "Back to the matter at hand: We have just had a big ... 'debate' over who is better in a relationship - Male, or female? So, I propose this: How about a healthy competiton of 'Battle of the Sexes'? Things shall be pretty dull around here, am I not right? What with vigorous training sessions and whatnot, we'll need something ... 'fun' to get our minds off of the matter at hand, no?"

"..." they were all silent.

"Paradox, that may have been the greatest idea ever!" grinned Ice Moon.

"This'll be so sweet!" agreed Tracie. "Wouldn't be awesome if we got the Titans involved?"

"Totally!" enthused Hack. "I gotta talk to Cy about-"

"I'll do that," Boom Baby cut in. "Ah _am_ goin' out with him later on, after all!"

"I know ..." grumbled Hack.

"Hey guys, watcha doin'?"

"Animal Man!" Falcon grinned at his old friend.

"Hey, Falcon," Beast Boy smiled back. "How goes it?"

"Pretty good," said Falcon, giving the changeling a frienddly clap on the back. "I've been doing research, and whatnot, so I've been busy for a while. What about you?"

"Same as," Beast Boy answered dully. "What are all you guys huddled up for anyhow?"

"We were having a very heated discussion about who's better; Boys or Girls?" said Paradox.

"Ooh," Beast Boy sighed. "Can't answer that one, bro. Too many gorgeous - yet completely badass - girls in here!" he smiled.

"Why you come down here, BB?" asked Tracie.

"Oh, yeah! Thatnls for reminding me, Trace!" Beast Boy said. "Yeah, um ... the briefing is starting, like, _now_. Okay? Get ready for two speeches, one boring, one okay."

"I heard that!" came a sharp voice from above the group.

They all looked up to see Robin glowering down at Beast Boy with his arms folded. "Get up here, now!" he hissed.

Beast Boy sighed, gave the new recruits a final nod, and shifted into a blackbird to fly up to the control room, where Robin would start his speech.

"We're ready to start," said Raven, who was standing behind Robin.

"Okay," the Boy Wonder said. "How is everybody today?"

"Alright," the recruits replied with an attitude.

"WHY DID IT TAKE YOU SO LONG TO COME OUT HERE AND TALK TO US? YOU IDIOT!" screeched Nightshade.

"That's good," Robin said, ignoring the girl's outburst. "Now, the reason you're all here today is because we need your help. We're facing a rather large threat, and it's going to take more than just the Teen Titans to stop it. Now, I know that most of you are new to this, so I'm going to tell you that being a superhero - while being extremely hard work- is a rewarding, important job. We our providing a service for the world through what we do, however risky it may seem, and we always recieve the gratitude and thanks that we deserve. Being a superhero is a glorious thing; you'll meet some of the best friends of your life on missions and in the teams you're assigned to, and maybe some potential more-than-friends too," he smiled at Starfire, who blushed.

Cesca saw this, and her heart sank.

"We are the next generation of supers," Robin continued. "Not everyone here is superpowered - heck, _I'm_ not! - but we sure as hell aren't normal either! I can guaruntee that each one of us has done something absolutely incredible with our lives, as well as something we're not proud of. But that's another reason why we're here; to learn from our mistakes and learn to accept ourselves, to accept the past, the present, and the future. So, with that, I hand you over to my colleague and good friend Avatar, who will continue the speech."

The new recruits clapped.

"Ahem," Avatar cleared her throat to quiet them down. "Before I start, let me introduce myself; my name is Avatar. I may not be a Teen Titan, but I have my own superhero team called the Squadron, and I have been working as a superhero on and off since I was thirteen years old." she paused. "Being a superhero - as Robin said - is extremely hard work. You have to push yourself, and train hard, learn to master your abilities and let others accept you for who you are. But, aside from all the fame and glory, there is a dark side to superheroism too." she took a deep breath. "As I said, I have been a superhero on and off since I was thirteen. I'm nearly eighteen now, so that's nearly five years of experience. And in those five years, my three remaining teammates and I-" she looked to Press, Delphi and Gymnasti-Girl "- have been through absolute hell. In our first two years as a team alone, we lost three teammembers. Three. Can you believe it? Yes, three teammembers, who to all of us, were a lover-" Gymnasti-Girl winced. "-a brother-" Delphi looked down. "-and a friend-" Press hung his head sadly. "So, yeah, being a super is glamorous and cool, and fun, but listen now: It's also painful, and hard and heartbreaking. We're giving you the oppotuinity to go home now, and leave all this behind if you don't feel you're up to it. We'll all understand completely."

The recruits looked around, before looking up again and shaking their heads defiantly.

"That's good," Avatar smiled sadly. "I'm sorry for being so morbid over this, but Robin beat me in a thumb war for the good speech, and-" she shrugged. "I'll hand you over to Raven now, and she'll tell you what we'll be doing for the next few weeks."

The new recruits clapped uncertainly.

"Okay-" before Raven could even start talking, she was interrupted by the sound of two dogs barking.

The doors of the training room opened, and in bounced a fully-grown German Shephard dog, followed by a fully-grown Golden Labrador Retriever. **(A/N: You'll see why I changed Holly's age later, Linz! Sorry!) **

"Sibs!" Falcon spluttered as the dog jumped onto him and began to lick his face affectionately. "Then, that must mean-"

"Hey, babe!" a blue haired, pallid skinned girl walked in confidently, with a big smile on her face that didn't seem to reach her sapphire blue eyes. "I've missed you!"

"Saffire!" Falcon yelled. "I've missed you too!" he ran to her and soon enough they were hugging each other fiercely. "How did you get Sibs here?"

"I picked him up while I was running my errands," Saffire answered a bit flatly. Her face was a little on the sad side. "I wanted to surprise you, Falc."

"Hey, Lizzy!" Beast Boy leaped from the control room and ran to the girl, an equally wide grin on his face.

"What did I tell you about calling me 'Lizzy'?" Saffire growled playfully.

"You told me not to?"

"YEAH!"

"So you see why I'm doing it, right?"

"Haha," Saffire sniped. "Still takin' orders from Traffic Light Boy, Gar?"

"Of course," Beast Boy fired back.

"You know what I told you," said Saffire. "You could be a leader, if you wanted!"

"But I DON'T want to!" said Beast Boy. "That's the point!" he smirked. "I'm glad I'm not though," he continued. "'Cause, if I shared _your_ leadership abilities, Hot Spot would be whining about me on the phone to Cyborg too!"

"Come here!" shrieked Saffire. She shapeshifted into a blue lion cub and pounced on her brother, who had also shifted into a lion cub. The siblings wrestled for a while as Falcon looked on happily.

"What did I miss?" Speedy asked, suddenly walking in.

"BABY!" Gymnasti-Girl shrieked. She ran over to him and gave him a big friendly hug. Then Speedy pulled away and started kissing her passionately. She kissed him back eagerly, her arms moving around his neck, his hands moving below her belt. This went on for ten minutes.

Afterwards, Gymnasti-Girl flounced away and Speedy looked on, his masked eyes glued to her butt.

A tall fourteen-year-old walked in then. Her cheeks were red and her head was down. She hadn't seen what happened between Gymnasti-Girl and Speedy.

"Hey, Huntress," grinned Speedy.

Huntress simply waved back and blushed. It was pretty obvious to everyone but Speedy that she had a crush the size of Jump City on him.

Then Aqualad walked in confidently, looking gorgeous (as usual).

PisCes brightened when she saw him and ran to give him a hug.

"I've missed you," she said in Atlantean.

"I've missed you too," he replied in the same tongue.

Raven was standing beside Delphi, her usually gloomy face looking even gloomier. She was looking at Falcon, who was holding the now human Saffire, caressing her and looking into her eyes, even though Saffire didn't seem nearly as enthusiastic, then at the now 'human' Beast Boy, who was flirting with Tracie.

"It seems like everybody's got somebody at the moment," she sighed to Delphi, who was biting her lip.

"Maybe not for long, though," Delphi was looking at Press, who turned to smile at her.

It was a secret smile, one that only Delphi could see, but it didn't make her feel special anymore. She felt numb.

She felt numb because she knew that there was so much heartbreak ahead for everybody, including herself.

* * *

_A skinny blonde girl hugged her knees to catch her breath. She was wearing yellow shorts and a black T-shirt, with a perfume that smealt of sweat._

_"Keep going, girl!" the coach shouted at her. "You've got the dumb-bells to lift, yet!"_

_She exhaled deeply, and continued to run, her skinny legs barely able to move. She collapsed by the weights and began to gasp, before turning to them and attempting to lift them with the toothpicks she called arms._

_"Hi," came a sweet yet sexy voice._

_The girl looked up, only to meet the dazzling green eyes of a redhead who was wearing a sexier version of the school uniform._

_"Hi," the girl gasped, getting up to greet the new-comer._

_"My name is Mary-Sue," Mary-Sue smiled. "What's yours?"_

_"I'm Tara," said the girl. "Tara Makrov."_

_"Ahh!" Mary-Sues expression brightened. "You're just who I was looking for. Listen, I gotta talk to you for a sec ..."_

_"Can it wait?" asked Tara. "I kinda have to finish this class, otherwise I'm going to fail gym."_

_"It can't wait," Mary-Sue's voice was sharp. "I need to talk to you NOW."_

_"I'm sorry, but I can't," said Tara._

_Mary-Sue sighed. "I was hoping it wouldn't come to this ..." she said._

_"Come to what?" asked a shaky Tara._

_"This," Mary-Sue sneered. She revealed the crowbar she was holding behind her back and hit Tara over the head with it, knocking her out cold._

* * *

_"Unn ..." she grunted as she came to._

_"Morning, Tara," grinned Mary-Sue._

_"Huh?" Tara's blue eyes widened. "Wait, where am I?" she gasped, taking in her surroundings. "Where are the Titans? Did you kidnap me? When they find out about this, they-"_

_"-won't care," said Marry-Sue. "They left you, Tara."_

_"What?" Tara looked confused. "But ... they're my friends. They wouldn't leave me ..."_

_"Yes, they would," Mary-Sue sneered. "They did. They found out about that little game you were playing with Slade and kicked you out of the Titans. Hit you over the head with a crowbar and dumped you in the streets. Had I not found you ... I don't know what would've happened!" Mary-Sue was putting on an innocent act._

_"But ... even Beast Boy?" Tara looked crestfallen. "But he ... he loves me."_

_"Not anymore, he doesn't," Mary-Sue smiled. "He's had two girlfriends since you left. First, that Mexican chick ... Avatar, I think her name is. Then ... Raven."_

_"RAVEN!" Tara couldn't contain her shock or disgust. "But she's so ... and he's ... he's MINE!" she was now seething._

_"Oh, and it doesn't stop there," Mary-Sue said relentlessly. "Now he's got his eyes on someone new. A certain ... Tracie Makrov!"_

_"Tracie?" Tara gasped. "But she knows! She's my sister!"_

_"Doesn't stop her," shrugged Mary-Sue. "Everyone over there loves her. She's a huge hit with the Titans, and now you've been painted as a hate-figure."_

_"No," Tara disagreed. "They can't hate me, I'm their friend!"_

_"They don't care," Mary-Sue said. "But I do. I admire you. You're such a wonderful person. I want you to join my side so we can bring down the Titans together, starting with Tracie. We'll be famous!"_

_Tara considered this. "I don't want to hurt Beast Boy. I want him to love me."_

_"So we'll spare him," said Mary-Sue._

_"And I want to be the one who kills Raven," Tara said darkly._

_"As you wish," Mary-Sue agreed. "So, Terra: Will you join me?"_

_She looked to the ground, then back up at her new 'friend', her usually blue eyes glowing yellow, a smirk on her face, her blonde hair falling over her face. She looked very much like she did when she was Slade's apprentice. Not that she remembered any on that, though._

_"Yes," the new Terra replied darkly. "I will - gladly."_

* * *

FINALLY! I AM FINISHED!

Okay, so you may be a bit confused by that last shot, but I'm going to explain:

Terra woke up from her rock-self and was discovered by a group of mole-people (as explained in Teen Titans GO! comics). She remembered everything that she did to the Titans, and felt bad about it, so she asked the mole-people to allow her back to the surface to make things right. The mole-people let her go, but they neglected to tell her that she'd lose all memory of everything that happened before the earthquake, so that's why she didn't recognize Beast Boy before. But when Mary-Sue hit her over the head with a crow-bar, she regained her memory of everyhting happened BEFORE she became Slade's apprentice, so her head is filled with the lies of Mary Sue.

So, everybody clear? Yeah? Good. OKAY, so I hope you enjoyed that! Also, The Mighty One and xxSaffire55xx, if there was anything the two of you weren't comfortable with in this chapter, regarding your OCs and your situation, please let me know and I'll change this to suit your requirements.

Also, the contest is still open, so KEEP THE GUESSES COMING!

xscifi :)


	11. When Things Go Bump in the Night

... Remember me? ^^;

Hi everyone. It's been a while, hasn't it? *rolls eyes* Yeah, understatement of the century *shakes head* a while doesn't even cut it. I'm such a stupid, selfish bitch :( You've all been waiting forver for a new chap and what I'm about to offer you isn't even about all of your OCs ... are you ready to kill me yet? :( Before you chew me out, though, I have some really feeble excuses to offer:

**1)** Life in general is getting in the way of stuff like writing, thinking straight, my sanity (don't ask...)** 2)** I had terrible writer's block and it was just getting way too hard to start the chap, and everything I DID write down seemed cheesy and stupid and just plain awful D: **3)** (This may seem entirely non-sensical to you, but - believe me - it matters a lot {to me, anyways...}) My boyfriend (ex-boyfriend ... it seems so weird to say it... write it. :( Well, yeah...), my ex-boyfriend has been causing me stress and worries and sadness and just unwillingness to do stuff, (even when we were together) and we were just starting out when I started this story and now I just feel so meh about the whole thing. **4)** I've been spending WAY too much time on DeviantART ^^;

So, here is the happy, upbeat greeting you guys expected and deserved from me, the one I wrote before I got all infinitely depressed and stuff ^^;:

Hey guys! :D I'm so happy! The comments for the last chap were ... I can't even say it. They were too amazingly amazing to even put into the words of my incredibly feeble vocabulary! :3 Okay, so The Mighty One sent me a piece of work of his own to stick into one of the future chaps (THANK YOU SO MUCH!) , and I for one, love it. Like, a lot. And I wanted to add it here, somehow, but then I realized I can't because (after much consideration) I've decided to write this chapter from the villains' points of view, and I'm really sorry to everyone who's been waiting but I've been stuck on this chapter forever because I was trying to fit everyone in, so I just said to myself, "Screw it." I'm sorry to disappoint but this is my story and I'm trying to make whatever I come up with good, and everything I did from the OCs' points of views ... really, really bad. So this chap is to just clear my head a bit, and I wanted to have something up before April, because I have a lot going on that month. Hopefull you'll get over being mad at me long enough to read this chapter and calm down and not kill me ^^; Sorry for any inconvenience, really I am, and I promise make next chap about the OCs, okay?

Thanks so much!

xscifi :)

* * *

_"DANG IT!" Gizmo screamed as he chucked the videogame controller to the ground in fury. "This CRUDDY, SNOT-FACED, STUPID game is so BLOODY STUPID!"_

_Kyd Wykkyd, who was sitting on the couch beside him, widened his red eyes and scooched a little to the side of him, afraid that the little tech-geek would have another meltdown._

_"Y'all only think it's stupid 'cause Ah whooped yer ass," Billy Numerous grinned._

_"Shut up!" Gizmo snarled. "This is a stupid game. THAT'S why I lost, not 'cause you and your cruddy counterparts used the cheat codes I taught you!" He glared._

_"We got any food 'round this dump?" came Mammoth's deep voice from the kitchen._

_"Do Ah look lahk Ah know?" demanded Billy. He split into three counterparts, giving the videogame controller to the one on his right and running to the kitchen._

_"No fair, you shoulda picked me to play, Billy!" yelled the counterpart on the left._

_"Nuh-uh! He chose meh, Billy!" the counterpart on the right boasted. "He chose MEH first! He lahks meh better!"_

_The two Billys began to squabble, while Gizmo continued to rant and swear in his rude but equally harmless way, and the first Billy went to help Mammoth find something edible in the fridge._

_And as all this was going on, Kyd Wykkyd was glancing around the place, his grey face completely emotionless, his red eyes empty._

_He got up and continued to survey the scene, before placing his hand on his throat. Gizmo saw this, and thought that his silent teammate was simply going to teleport upstairs, until Kyd Wykydd did something incredible –_

_He cleared his throat_

_And he spoke._

_"ENOUGH!"_

_Everyone stopped what they were doing, and blinked at the Teleporter in stunned silence._

_"Wait a minute," the first Billy said slowly. "you just talked. You never talk!"_

_"Yeah!" the Billy on the left added. "Since when do you talk?"_

_"I've always been able to talk," said Kyd Wykkyd. His voice was a flat, raspy monotone, but at the same time, it was normal, like a regular teenaged boy's._

_"So whah've you never talked before?" the Billy on the right asked._

_"Maybe I never had anything much to say to you losers!" Kyd Wykkyd snapped._

_"HEY!" Gizmo growled. "You did NOT just call us losers, you crummy, stupid, snot-faced, good for nothing-"_

_"ENOUGH!" Kyd Wykkyd yelled again. "ENOUGH with your stupid insults! Are those the only words in your vocabulary? Are you really so afraid of swearing that you've been reduced to using words that even kindergartners know? Are you really THAT sad?"_

_For once in his short life, Gizmo had absolutely nothing to say._

_"I thought so," Kyd Wykkyd looked satisfied. "Listen - I've stuck by you three losers for the passed year, and all you've done, is eat, sleep, fart, play videogames and goof off! You've gotta admit that this place has gone downhill since Jinx and See-More left! At least we DID STUFF then! Now we're nobodies!"_

_"Nuh-uh!" Billy protested. "We're the H.I.V.E. Five!"_

_Kyd Wykkyd did a quick head-count. "Says the guy who's supposed to be great at math," he said sarcastically, poking fun at the fact the Billy could divide, multiply, add and subtract himself faster than the best mathmatician in the world._

_"Okay," Mammoth said. "Maybe Kyd Wykkyd's right."_

_"Damn straight I am!" Kyd Wykkyd yelled. "I'm sick of this! I'm beginning to think that Jinx and See-More did the right thing by leaving us!"_

_"Take that back!" spat Gizmo, suddenly recovering from his spell of silence._

_"NO." Kyd Wykkyd said. "At they're SOMEBODIES now! I mean, See-More went and became a high school kid. He's at medical school now, studying to be an optician. And Jinx? Don't get me started on her - She's dating one of the Titans' biggest hot-shots and running with SLADE'S SON. People everywhere love her now!" he paused. "I'm beginning to think that Jinx made the right decision in becoming a cape."_

_The others gasped._

_"You rotten, cruddy, STUPID-" Gizmo began._

_"Oh, now you've just went aind made meh mad!" Billy divided himself into three._

_"GET OUTTA HERE!" yelled Mammoth._

_"I thought you'd never ask," said Kyd Wykkyd. He began to walk to the door, and turned to look at them again. "Later, losers." he sneered. "Have a nice life. I'll be checking in on you soon, to see if you've decided to reassemble the H.I.V.E. Five yet." he snickered. "Or should I say - The H.I.V.E. Three!"_

_He grabbed his cape and gave it a tug, and disappeared in a small black whirlpool._

_"Ah've always hated that gah," Billy said, becoming one again._

_"Me too," Mammoth scoffed. "He was always too quiet."_

_"It's ALWAYS the quahet ones," said Billy._

_"WHATEVER." Gizmo quickly dismissed their meaningless discussion. "Listen, worms. That snobby idiot was right. We ARE hasbeens, and we need to do something about it. STAT."_

_There was a gentle knock on the door, and the boys turned._

_The door burst open_

_and in walked the most beautiful girl any of them had ever seen._

_"Perhaps," Mary-Sue said, as an answer to Gizmo's earlier outburst. "I can help you with that."_

* * *

"Will you quit it?" Ice Moon gave her roommate a disgruntled look. "You're making me nervous now!"

Hack sighed and stopped her pacing. "You're right," she agreed. "Sorry, I'm just ... worried, is all."

"How come?" Ice Moon asked.

"It's just ... y'know, Boom Baby's gone," Hack managed to say. "She's our roommate and she's been gone four hours ... she went to get a coffee..."

"... with Cy," Ice Moon finished.

"Yeah, with Cy!" Hack could barely contain her jealousy.

"You like him, right?"

"No! No way!" Hack spluttered. "He's obnoxious and annoying, and incredibly immature for his age, and-"

"Oh stop it!" Ice Moon interrupted. "C'mon, I saw the two of you together earlier."

"That obvious, huh?" Hack looked a little deflated.

"Kinda," Ice Moon laughed. "Don't worry, though - I don't think anyone else has noticed yet."

"Really?" Hack asked hopefully.

"Uh..." Ice Moon bit her lip. "Well, at least I hope no one else has noticed yet!"

Hack let out an exaggerated sigh and sunk down onto her bed.

"I'm such an idiot," she said. "I don't stand a chance against that hillbilly ho." **(A/N: No offence intended AngelicBrat123! This isn't my opinion at all!)**

"Of course you do!" Ice Moon sat up. "I bet you have way more in common than Boom Baby does with him!"

"Yeah, but she's so ... pretty," Hack muttered. "Not just pretty ... _exotically_ pretty!"

"Call me crazy," Ice Moon said. "But I'd take Cy as the kind of guy who takes BRAINS over beauty."

"You really think so?"

"Of course!" Ice Moon insisted. "I really like you guys together - and ... you're my friend so-"

"Wait," Hack interrupted. "You think we're friends?"

"Well, yeah," Ice Moon blushed. "We're closest to each other's age ... I mean if we're older than everyone else here we should at least stick together, right? Also, you're my roommate ... I'm determined to make it work."

"Even with Boom Baby?" asked Hack. "She is our roommate too, after all."

"Well..." Ice Moon said. "Maybe I'll only be civil to her face."

The two girls laughed.

"Aww," said Hack. "We're so mean."

"How come?" Boom Baby walked in, a massive smile on her face.

"Um..." Ice Moon fumbled. "We were making fun of Beast Boy. Poor guy!"

"Yeah, it is a bit weird how he's green and all," Boom Baby agreed. "Aw well." she paused. "Ah guess the floor bed is mahn then?"

Hack and Ice Moon exchanged glances.

"Um ... sorry?"

* * *

Shadow Soul couldn't get to sleep.

"Dude!" Ash yelled, throwing a pillow at him. "Will you QUIT IT?"

"SORRY," Shadow replied with an attitude, meaning he wasn't a bit sorry. "I'm just nervous."

"About what?" demanded Ash. "Dude, it's like ... two AM or something. Just go to sleep."

"Are you not worried at all?" asked Shadow. "I mean, the fate of the world rests in our hands! Robin said so himself!"

"Yeah," Ash said. "But ... isn't that, like, an implied rule when you become a hero? That the fate of the world will end up in your hands?"

"I didn't sign up to be a hero."

"So why are you here?"

"..." Shadow didn't answer.

"Come on man, we live together now," Asher said. "If you can't tell me this, you're sure as hell not going to be able to admit it was you who left the toilet seat up."

"Why would I admit to that?" asked Shadow.

"It was a game we used to play at the institude," Ash said quietly. "If you admitted to doing something totally embarrassing you were like ... worshipped."

"Weird game," Shadow said. "Anyways ... I didn't _sign up_ to be a hero. When I first discovered my powers ... well, something awful happened. My mom and me ... we had an argument, and ... things got bad. Really bad. And ... I guess I did the whole crimefighting thing to gain better control over my powers." he paused. "NOT to save the entire world."

"Wow..." Asher said. "That's pretty deep."

"I wasn't intending to be deep, but thanks..."

"You could really pick up chicks with words like that," Asher stated.

"What do you mean?" Shadow asked, suddenly interested.

"Well, y'know..." Asher began. "Girls - they love that deep, disturbed past stuff. They think it's poetic or whatever. And, speaking of girls ..." Asher grinned. "See anyone ya like?"

"Well, maybe," Shadow Soul muttered. "It doesn't matter. We're here to fight, not to date."

"But don't you want to have someone to grab and kiss when it looks like our time is up?" Asher smirked.

Shadow looked annoyed. "Y'know, you're pretty condescending for a single guy."

"I won't be single for long," Asher said confidently. "I got my eye on someone right now."

"Is it Raven?" Shadow asked.

"Naw ... too weird," Asher pulled a face. "I mean, she's gorgeous, but that whole dead look in her eyes ... it's a bit of a turn off."

"Starfire?"

"Too happy. 'sides, she's Robin's, isn't she? Last thing I wanna do is tick off the leader."

"Gymnasti-Girl?"

"Too flirty. I think she's Speedy's as well."

"... Avatar?" Shadow cringed a little as he asked.

"Hmm ... maybe," Asher grinned as he saw his friend looking a little annoyed. "She's got legs up to her eyes, hasn't she? And that accent of hers ... drives me mad-"

"Shut it," Shadow muttered. "Anyways, speaking of accents - I thought you and Boom Baby hit it off earlier?"

Asher's face fell. "She hates me," he deadpanned.

"But doesn't that saying go ... 'The problem with girls is, they act like they hate you when they actually like you'?" Shadow asked.

Asher brightened. "Awesome!" he grinned. "You're right, dude! She SO wants me!" he looked confident. "'kay, I'm gonna make it my perosnal mission to make Boom Baby mine. And YOU'RE gonna be my wingman, got it?"

"Yep," Shadow sighed. "Now, dude, can we get to sleep? I swear we're gonna wake Cyborg-"

"Too late," the sleepy metal hero glared at the two. "Seriously guys - quit talkin' 'bout girls and get to sleep. Y'all don't want me to throw ya out, right?"

"Nope," the two boys cringed and lay back down again.

* * *

Saffire wasn't having the best night.

She's been tossing and turning in her sleep, worries haunting her dreams. She couldn't live like this. She was living a stupid, stupid lie, and it wasn't fair to herself ... or Falcon.

Saffire sat up. Her long blue hair was in a bush of tangles and she hadn't bothered taking off her make-up before bed. She delicately slid out of bed, she bare feet touching the carpet floor with a soft _pfft_.

When she was standing, she hesitated. _No it's too late,_ she told herself. _You don't need to go knocking on his door just to bother him. Especially with_ this_. Wake up, Pheonix. Be sensitive for once in your goddamn life._

But before her common sense could kick in she'd already left the room. Falc was rooming with Beast Boy, she remembered him telling her. Gar's room was down the hall to the left ... her heart was beating so fast she could barely breathe.

Her mind went blank - murky thoughts of her past with Falcon running through her head. She continued walking in a daze. When she finally came to she was outside Gar's door, preparing to knock.

The door flew open just before she could though, Falcon standing right in front of her.

_My God he's so hot,_ Saffire thought sadly. He was shirtless, wearing nothing but a pair of black shorts to keep him decent, his brown hair sticking up and his brown eyes tired from lack of sleep.

"Alex," Saffire began. "I-"

"I felt there was something heavy on your mind," Falcon said. "Elizabeth, what's wrong?"

Usually Saffire would've given out to Falcon for calling her by her first name. But she was just too occupied to even care.

"Falc," she said. "will you come walk with me?"

Falcon nodded and followed her.

The pair wound up on the roof of Titans Tower. It was now three AM, and the sky was dark and misty.

"I love the city at this time of night," Falcon smiled. "It's so peaceful."

"Yeah..." Saffire said. "Alex ... we've been together a while, right?"

"Yes, on and off for almost a year now," Falcon grinned. "Why?"

"Well, it's just ..." Saffire said. "I don't know if I'm confortable being in the 'on' stage again."

"What do you mean?" Falcon looked sad.

"What I mean is ... well, I kind of got used to not having you around, when you left and all," Saffire confessed. "And, I had a lot of fun when we were apart, and - don't get me wrong, I was amazed and happy and grateful to see you again, but ... I don't think a steady relationship is what I want or need right now. It's too much to have in your head when the world is ending. Alex - you understand, don't you?"

Falcon was silent.

"Alex please don't do that," Saffire begged. "I still love you dearly. I always will. But - for now - I just don't think we should be together that way."

Falcon cleared his throat. "It's okay," he said weakly. "I understand."

"Are you okay with it?" Saffire asked. "Alex, I don't want it to be weird between us..."

"It won't be," Falcon smiled. He took her hand. "I just want you to know that I will always be there for you. I said I'd love you forever - and I keep my promises."

And then he disintegrated into the floor, leaving Saffire all alone to wonder if she'd made a mistake.

* * *

It seemed that the founding Titans were the only ones having a peaceful night.

Robin and Starfire were having a (very chaste) sleep-over.

"I wish to be close to you tonight," Starfire confessed to him when the new recruits were filing out of the common room. "May we do the staying of the over?"

Robin was more than eager to accept. Now, as he lay with his girlfriend in his arms, he realized how lucky he was to be spending this time with her now, rather than later. With all that was at stake, they mightn't have the time to do all the things he'd planned for them, like moving out of the Tower to be on their own and maybe even tying the knot one day. And who knew? Perhaps they'd be hearing the pitter patter of little Tamaranean feet as well.

Robin reached down and began stroking Starfire's hair. She opened her beautiful green eyes and smiled at him. Robin smiled back.

"You should take off your mask more often, boyfriend Robin," she said sweetly. "You are very handsome."

Robin beamed. "And you are the most beautiful girl in the universe," he declared.

"Robin?" Starfire said.

"Yes, Starfire?" Robin moved closer to her.

"I am worried," she admitted.

"I am too," Robin confessed. "But we can't act worried. We need to be strong for everyone else."

"That is not true, Robin," Starfire smiled. "You have some theory that you must be strong for everyone all the time ... you deserve to show your emotions. In Tamaran, the hiding of such feelings would be much frowned upon."

"I know, Star," Robin sighed. "But ... I've been this way as long as I can remember. Ever since-"

"-Shh," Starfire interrupted. "You are an excellent leader and wonderful friend. We all admire your strength but are wary of your lack of compassion. Open up, Robin. Show everyone else the amazing person you have shown me."

Robin look deep into Starfire's eyes. In that moment, he came to a very serious realization. He loved Starfire. Of course he knew that already, but now he saw just how much - he was willing to give his life for her, he would do anything to keep her safe or make her happy. He wanted to provide a long future with her, a home for her.

"Starfire," Robin said, taking his girlfriend's hand. "I love you."

"As I love you," Starfire replied.

"And ... I wanna use what time we have left to show you how much I love you," he said. "You wanted me to open up? Well ... here goes. I want a future with you. A house for the two of us to live in. I want to wake up beside you every morning. I want your smile and your beautiful face to be the first thing I see. I want YOU."

"What are you saying, Robin?" Starfire asked.

"Star ... I know we're only eighteen. But I've never been so sure of anything else in my life," he had now gotten out of bed. Getting down on one knee, he said, "Koriand'r, Princess of Tamaran, the love of my life - will you give me the honour of being my wife?"

Tears fell from Starfire's emerald eyes.

"Yes!" she cried. "Yes! Yes! Yes!"

The pair embraced.

"Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! YES!"

"HEY!" Beast Boy burst in. "I know you guys are all passionate and stuff but could ya keep it down?"

He blinked, realizing the two were fully clothed in their pyjamas.

"Oh ... you guys aren't ...?" Beast Boy blushed. "Sorry! I'll just - SORRY!"

He dashed off.

Robin and Starfire looked to each other tenderly. And laughed.

* * *

_Red X meant business._

_After his reunion with Grace he'd decided he needed to get more information on what was happening in Titans Tower. His future with Grace could depend on it, he'd realized as he was speeding down the highway on his black and red motorcycle._

_He was meeting with an insider who could give him the info he needed to get on Robin's good side. And he NEEDED to get on Robin's good side to be with Grace. _

_As Red X neared the end of the road, he saw her. A strikingly pretty girl dressed in a sexy school uniform with auburn hair and glowing blue eyes. Or were they green? Or grey? Or brown? Red X couldn't decide._

_"Hello," the girl smiled up at him._

_"'Sup?" Red X asked cooly with a cocky nod._

_"Nothing much," the girl giggled. "So you're looking for something off me?"_

_"Yeah ..." Red X said. "You told me you were with the Titans?"_

_"Who, me?" the girl laughed. "I wouldn't be caught dead hanging with those losers. No, I have someone else who was with the Titans."_

_"Do I know them?" the Xenothium assasin wanted to know._

_"Have you ever heard of Terra?"_

_"Terra the Traitor? Damn, can't say I had the pleasure of fighting that bitch."_

_"Oh, so you have heard of her."_

_"Yes."_

_"Okay, so ..." the girl smiled. "I have exclusive information from Terra, and I can confirm ..."_

_"Yeah?"_

_"... that this 'Big Threat' the Titans are so worried about ..."_

_"Yeah?"_

_"... is ..."_

_"_Yeah_?"_

_"... ME!" Mary-Sue giggled._

_Red X looked at her, puzzled._

_"_You_?" he said incredulously. "Come on Red, don't mess with me. I NEED to know who this threat is."_

_"I'm serious, it's me," Mary-Sue said, slightly annoyed. "What? You don't think a girl could plan world domination?"_

_"Of course not," Red X said thoughtfully. "I just don't think she could do it alone."_

_"That's why I need your help."_

_"WHAT?" Red X snapped. "Oh no, haven't you been listening? I'm trying to GET INTO the Titans, not DESTROY THEM! If you ARE this threat, what the hell makes you think I would help you?"_

_"These," Mary-Sue smirked, pulling a stak of photos from ... _somewhere_ under her skirt._

_Red X gingerly took them from her, thanking God he was wearing gloves._

_"What are these?" he asked._

_"Just take a look," Mary-Sue said maliciously._

_So Red X did._

_And was shocked by what he saw._

_"Is this Grace?" he snarled, clutching the photos. "And the BOY BLUNDER?"_

_"DON'T CALL HIM THAT!" Mary-Sue snapped, her eyes glowing dangerously as her beloved was ridiculed behind his own back. "Ahem. I mean ... yep."_

_"How could this be?" Red X whispered. The pictures were as clear as day. Grace - curvy, seventeen-year-old, sexy Grace, not skinny, small, going out with Grayson Grace - with Robin. Kissing him. Caressing him. Laughing and holding him._

_Red X's blood boiled. Once again, he felt angry, bitter, and ... betrayed. How could Grace have done this to him? She said she loved him ..._

_"Change your mind?" Mary-Sue asked sweetly._

_"Hell yeah," Red X barked. "And when we start killing people, I call dibs on Grace and the Boy Blunder!"_

_"Don't call him that," Mary-Sue said through gritted teeth. "Also - we're not gonna kill him - I have a special plan for Robin."_

_"Whatever it is, I hope it makes him suffer," Red X said, remounting his motorcycle. "Where do we meet?"_

_"Gotham. I'll have someone give you the details."_

_"Who?"_

_"Oh ... you'll know," Mary-Sue smiled. "It was lovely talking to you, Jason."_

_"Whatever."_

_And Red X drove off, fighting tears for the first time in his life._

_When his motorcycle was out of sight, Terra, Billy Numerous, Gizmo and Mammoth emerged._

_"So he's in?" Terra beamed._

_"Yes," Mary-Sue beamed. "How fortunate was it that you spied Jason and Grace canoodling and took those pictures?"_

_"And how fortunate was it that Photoshop was invented?" Terra replied._

_Proud of their fake photos, the two evil women errupted into henous laughter._

* * *

SOOOOO THAT'S IT! Chapter eleven is finally done! :D Tell me what you thought, please!

_With Red X tricked, her army growing, and the Titans falling apart, will Mary-Sue suceed in her quest to ruin the Titans? And what has she planned for Robin?_

**Find out, in the**** NEXT CHAPTER!** *dramatic theme music plays*

xscifi ;)_  
_


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